


Kiss It Better

by pherryt, scarletmanuka



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Dan, Dan is Venom's spring roll dealer, Eddie and Venom both need a hug, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Multi, Non-Explicit Mentions of Rape, Not quite as dark as the summary makes it out to be, Polyamory, Symbrock Big Bang 2019, caring dan, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-02 08:27:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18807439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pherryt/pseuds/pherryt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: After being kidnapped, raped, and tortured, Eddie and Venom must now begin the process of healing and picking up the pieces of their lives. After caring for them in hospital, Dan continues his care after their release, and he soon becomes one of the only people that the couple trust. That care and trust soon turns to longing and desire, not only for one another, but also for revenge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the [Symbrock Big Bang](https://symbrockbigbang.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Artwork by the absolutely amazing [Pherryt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pherryt/pseuds/pherryt) \- go check her out, she is so talented!
> 
> Thanks to the ever faithful [Sassy_Boo_Bear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassy_Boo_Bear/profile) for the beta.

Eddie had lost track of time. He had no idea how long he’d been kept here, drugged with some sort of paralytic, unable to fight or escape, completely at his captors’s mercy. How long had it been since he’d first been grabbed in the alleyway, a needle shoved into his neck? How many days had passed since Venom had screamed inside of him, panicking as the drug affected the symbiote as well? Had it been days or even weeks since the pain and torture had begun? Was it in this lifetime or another that the man in the pig mask had flipped him over and yanked down his jeans, leaving him sore and aching and _hollow_? Was the cruel laughter from the other men as they took their turns still lingering in the air or was it simply an echo in his mind?

Eddie didn't know because he’d lost track of time.

The injections seemed to come more frequently now, but was that because his body was burning it off more quickly, or simply because he had no concept of how many hours or days had passed? Venom had ceased struggling long ago, and then he’d fallen silent. Eddie could still feel him there inside of him, tried to take comfort from his presence, but also wished that his Other wasn’t with him so that he wouldn’t have to experience the torture through Eddie. What one felt, the other felt, and so Eddie’s pain was Venom’s pain. He shared Eddie’s terror when the tall man in black who was wearing the wolf mask carefully selected which blade he would use each time he visited, experienced the same excruciating pain as his host as he was pushed towards the edge of consciousness. It wasn’t only Eddie whose dignity was being stripped from him each time that the men in the pig, lamb, and duck masks came into the room where he was being held, their eagerness and anticipation making the air seem to crackle with the threat that they presented. It wasn’t just Eddie wishing for it to just be over with already as he was left there, unable to move to wipe away the fluid that trickled down over his thighs as he was left to the darkness of the night and of his mind.

And yet it wasn’t only Eddie who vowed to remain silent, refusing to give up the name of their source. Though careful to never give away exactly who they were or what organisation they worked for, the men made it obvious what information they wanted from Eddie but he held fast, refusing to speak even during the worst of the torture. Eddie did it out of principle - he kept his informants safe in exchange for their story. Venom was silent out of stubbornness and anger. The men who were hurting them wanted something from them and he wouldn’t give it to them. Not that he was able to take control of Eddie’s body to give those secrets away anyway but that wasn’t the point. When his voice could still be heard within Eddie’s mind, Venom made it clear that he agreed that they were not to tell.

And so an unknown amount of time passed until one day the man in the pig mask came back, but this time he didn't loosen Eddie’s jeans, but the restraints that held him on the table. “Time to go,” he sneered.

“Go where?” Eddie slurred. It had been a while since his last injection and he was surprised to find that he could move his limbs sluggishly.

There was no answer and he was pulled to his feet and sent stumbling from the room, shoved down a corridor and into a garage where a van was waiting. Eddie figured that they were sick of trying to get the information from him and were taking him somewhere to be executed, and he sat, oddly calm, knowing that their pain would soon be over. He felt Venom stir in his chest, a comforting warmth that wrapped around his ribs and he sent a thought inwards, a wave of love and emotion and gratefulness that he wouldn’t be alone when he died.

Instead of ending his life, the men dumped him in an alleyway a block from the hospital and sped away, leaving him sprawled on the cold ground, the smell of rotting garbage heavy in the air.

His ordeal may have been over but his anguish was just beginning.

“Eddie? Hey, bud, can you hear me?”

His eyes slowly fluttered open and he immediately winced at the bright, white light. Pretty sure that he hadn't passed into the great beyond (and absolutely certain that if he had, that he wouldn’t be in the place with the white light and angels), he took further stock of his surroundings. There was an incessant beeping off to the side, the smell of antiseptic in the air, and when he peered up to see who was hovering over him, Dan’s face came into view. So, hospital then. That was going to do some serious damage to his credit card.

“Eddie, you with me?”

He grunted at Dan’s repeated question and struggled to sit up. Pain lanced through him but he ignored it, needing to be up and off his back. Strong arms wrapped around his shoulders as the doc helped him to sit up and he nodded in thanks but couldn’t help but shy away from the touch.

“Do you remember what happened?” Dan asked, immediately stepping back to give him space.

Images flashed before his eyes: the damp, mouldy ceiling of the room that he was kept in, a mouth twisting into a cruel sneer beneath the face of a cartoon animal, the flash of a blade. He let out a shuddering breath and nodded. “When?” he asked, his voice hoarse with disuse.

“You were found roughly eight hours ago,” Dan explained, not asking for further details just yet. The automatic blood pressure cuff inflated and he took note of the reading in the file notes and then hung the clipboard up on the end of the bed and pulled over a chair. “Annie has been asking after you, wanted to come and see you but I’ve held her off so far.”

He nodded again, not trusting his voice to tell Dan how grateful he was about that. He still loved Anne, always would, but it was no longer in any romantic manner, but just as friends. Now that he had that bit of distance he could concede that she could be too pushy at times, a little too intense. He knew that it was because she cared and that she wanted the best for him, but it could take a lot of energy to deal with her and he just didn’t have any to spare right now.

“So, we’re keeping you in for a few days to give you some time to recover but I made sure that I was appointed as your attending physician so you wouldn’t get shoved in an MRI machine or anything.” Dan looked sheepish. “Sorry again about that. So, uh, do you want me to go over everything that we’ve done and are treating you for? Or do you want to rest some more? From what I can tell, Venom is just as beat up as you so I don’t think he’ll be much help in healing you for a while.”

Eddie shrugged. “May as well tell me how bad it is, doc.”

“Right, yeah. So, you have numerous lacerations and minor burns to your back, chest, and thighs. Some of the cuts on your back needed stitches but the others were fairly shallow. You’re badly dehydrated and malnourished, and I’m concerned that you may have some organ damage since you weren’t getting enough sustenance to sustain yourself, let alone Venom getting the nutrients that he needed.” He paused and looked towards the door to make sure that no one was coming into the room. “As soon as you think you can handle it, I can get you some uh, some brains, from medical waste, um, if you think that that will help him recover?”

Eddie blinked at him. “You’d do that? For us?”

The doctor looked a little flustered and he fiddled with the stethoscope around his neck. “They’re from people whose bodies haven’t been claimed, John Does and the like, who were autopsied as part of a police investigation. No one will miss them and if they can help? Well, I don’t see how bad it could be.”

He was touched, really touched. Though shocked at first, after the whole Life Foundation incident, Dan had been accepting of his joining with Venom, and when they had discovered that it was phenylethylamine that the symbiote needed to survive, he’d done some research into what they could eat to supplement the odd head here and there. It had added not just chocolate but beans, lentils, and a broad selection of meats (always on the rare side now) to his diet. “Thanks, man, I really appreciate that.” His voice cracked a little at the end and he cleared his throat. “Um, can I get some water?”

“Sure, of course.” The doctor poured him a glass from a jug and handed it over, warning him to go easy. While Eddie sipped, Dan continued his run down. “We’ve got you on a broad spectrum antibiotic since some of the cuts are a little infected, and to uh, stave off any potential STIs. I’ve sent off some blood for comprehensive testing and we also did a rape kit.” He took a breath, obviously finding the conversation difficult. “You have some minor anal fissures but they’ll heal by themselves, you’ll just have to be careful for a while.”

Eddie stopped with the cup halfway to his lips and stared at Dan, trying to process his words. He knew that it had happened, lived through it for fuck’s sake, but hearing it said out loud like that made it all the more real.

“The cops want to talk to you when you’re ready, to get a statement and find out if you know who did this, and I highly recommend speaking to a counsellor about your ordeal, but we don’t have to decide on that now.”

“Okay.”

“Are you hungry? Can I get you something? If you need anything at all, just let me know, okay?”

“Thanks, Dan, but I think right now I just want some time alone.”

Dan nodded. “Sure thing, Eddie. I’ll come back later to check up on you.”

Eddie watched as he stood and made his way to the door but stopped him by calling out a question. “How long, Dan? How long did they have me?”

The doctor turned around, his face grave. “You were missing for just over three weeks.”

“Huh.”

Dan watched him with concerned eyes but eventually he left the room, closing the door gently behind him, giving Eddie the privacy that he’d requested. Once he was alone, Eddie shuffled down the bed until he was on his side and stared blankly at the heart monitor for a long time. He turned his thoughts inwards and asked softly, _V, you there?_

It took a long time for the reply to come and when it did it was but a whisper.

**I’m here, Eddie.**

Relief washed over him to know that his Other hadn't left him and it seemed to open a floodgate as his body shook and shuddered as he cried himself to sleep.

“And you’re absolutely certain that you have no idea who the men were?” Detective Lefroy asked again, frustration colouring his tone.

Eddie knew exactly who they were, had no doubt that they worked for Hanna Corp, the organisation that had suffered a severe blow when a whistleblower had approached him with information about dodgy safety practices that had seen the developer cover up the deaths of three of their workers. For some reason however, they had let him go instead of killing him and there was obviously a reason for that. If they weren’t confident that a police investigation would prove fruitless, then they wouldn’t have taken that risk. If Eddie did spill the beans, bad things would be in store for him, and likely those closest to him and so he wasn’t going to take the chance. Anne, Dan, and Mrs Chen didn’t deserve that. “’m sorry, as I said, they all wore masks so I never saw their faces and they never told me who they were working for or even explicitly what they wanted. I don’t even know if it was personal, ya know?”

Detective Ramirez raised a brow in disbelief, her look silently conveying that there was no way in hell that his injuries weren’t personal. She didn’t voice this out loud however, just closed her notebook and said, “If you do happen to think of anything else, Mr Brock, please contact us immediately.”

“I will.” He wouldn’t.

“You take care, Mr Brock,” Lefroy said in parting and then he and his partner left.

A few minutes later Dan appeared in the doorway and he looked apologetic. The reason for this was soon apparent as Anne barged into the room and flung herself at her ex. Eddie couldn't help his reaction and he flinched away from her so violently that he tore the IV from the crook of his elbow. “ _Don’t touch me!_ ” he cried, holding his arms out to keep her at bay.

Hurt flashed across her pretty face but she acquiesced and stepped away from the bed. “Eddie, I -”

Guilt washed over him and he hurried to try to explain but he failed miserably. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I just can’t...I’m sorry.”

Dan crossed the room and, projecting his intent clearly, giving Eddie a chance to stop him, he gently took hold of his elbow and the torn IV line. Eddie let him, trusting Dan inherently when it came to his medical care and sat quietly as he replaced the line. “You have nothing to apologise for,” Dan said softly as he worked. “What you’ve gone through? It’s going to change your boundaries, how you interact with people, what you have to do to feel safe. Don’t ever apologise for that, Eddie, you hear me?”

He nodded once, his throat tight and he looked over to Anne and offered her a small smile that she returned. She crept closer to the bed and sat down next to it, being careful not to touch him. “I was so scared, Eddie,” she confessed. “I’m so happy that you’re okay.”

His definition of okay and hers were miles apart but he didn't bother to correct her, just tried to be happy that she was here, that she still cared. It was hard though, even pretending to be happy when all he wanted to do was to hide away from everyone so no one had to see the empty shell that he’d become.

**Not empty, Eddie. I’m always here with you.**

_I know, V._

“Do you know who they were?” Anne asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, never saw their faces. I think they were just random psychos.”

She didn't look like she believed him anymore than the detectives had but didn’t challenge him. “So, Dan says you’ll be in for a few days but I was thinking that when you’re released you should come and stay with us for awhile? Just until you’ve made a full recovery.”

“Oh, um, thanks, that’s a real nice offer and all but I think I’d rather just go home.”

“Oh, okay, well I can always come and stay at your place then.”

He threw a pleading look to Dan and the doctor came to his rescue. “I think Eddie just wants to be alone in his own space, Annie.”

“Is that really what’s best?” she asked worriedly. “Should he be alone?”

“What’s best is whatever Eddie feels comfortable with, love, and we both know that he’s never alone.”

She didn’t look happy but she plastered on a smile and said, “Well, you know where we are if you do need anything, okay?”

“I do. Thanks, Annie.”

She stayed for another half an hour but the conversation was stilted and awkward. Eddie was tired and not in the mood for small talk and eventually she left, promising to come back for a visit the next day. He thanked her, honestly grateful for her concern, but couldn't help but feel relieved when she left, leaving him alone with only Venom for company. His symbiote was also quiet, not chattering away like he used to, and Eddie appreciated the silence. He pulled the blankets up around his chin and felt Venom settle warm and heavy around his ribs, adding a comforting weight, and soon he fell asleep.

His small apartment was almost exactly as he’d left it - the handful of dishes that had been on the sink had dried food crusted on them, the milk in the fridge was off, and the plant on his window sill was well and truly dead, but all else was the same. The clothes he’d been wearing during his captivity had been taken by the cops as evidence and so Dan had found an old pair of sweats and a t shirt from the Lost and Found bin for him to wear home. The first thing he did was go to the bathroom, strip out of the clothes, and turn on the shower, getting Venom to help him cover the stitches on his back with cling film before he stepped under the hot spray.

 **Soon I can heal you,** Venom promised as Eddie hissed as the hot water stung his many wounds.

“I know, love, but you get yourself well first, okay?”

As soon as Venom had been strong enough to manifest a small head and face, they’d devoured the three brains that Dan had been able to smuggle them. The symbiote had missed the crunch of bone but had felt satiated at the very least. Eddie had also eaten his body weight in chocolate, and Venom’s strength was slowly returning. It wouldn’t just be the wounds from his attackers that the symbiote would have to heal though, but also the damage to Eddie’s organs that he’d had to inflict in order to survive without sufficient sustenance.

Eddie could feel the frustration rolling off the symbiote at what Venom perceived to be a failure on his part, as well as something else. Something that felt a little too much like self-loathing to just ignore.

“What’s wrong, V? Please don’t worry about not being able to heal me right away - I’m not in any grave danger, okay? I’ll be fine until you can help.”

**Not that.**

“No? Then what’s got you so cut up?”

**Couldn’t stop them. Couldn’t protect you.**

“That happens sometimes. I couldn’t protect you either.”

**They hurt you. Did terrible things to you.**

He swallowed hard. “I know,” he whispered. “But they did those things to you too.”

**Not the same. You suffered more.**

It was true to an extent but they had been ‘we’ for long enough that Eddie truly did think of them as one being. It might have been his physical form that was violated, but Venom had experienced it too. “It’ll be okay, V, we’ll get through it,” he said, trying hard to believe it so he could convince his Other, but it was difficult. He was jittery with nerves, was jumping at the slightest thing, flinching from the barest touch, and couldn’t help but constantly look over his shoulder. He didn’t feel safe in his own apartment let alone his own skin, but he needed to do his best to keep that thought from Venom lest he make him feel even guiltier. “How about we watch something, hey? Get our minds off of it?” It was a cheap attempt at a distraction but was all he could manage at the moment and his Other knew it but didn’t call him out on it.

Eddie didn’t take in anything they watched the entire evening. He was going through the motions - he made amused sounds when the laugh track indicated to, channel surfed when one show ended, got up and fetched Venom some chocolate coated Hawaiian Crunch, but he didn’t see, didn’t take anything in. His mind wasn’t quite back in a dimly lit room with a mouldy ceiling - his Other wouldn’t allow that to stand and would snare his attention anytime it began to wander in that direction - but it wasn’t in the present either. Eventually he decided that enough was enough and took himself off to bed.

His body was still recovering and he tired easily so it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep but as much as Venom could distract him from the memories and flashbacks during the day, he didn’t have any control over Eddie’s dreams, couldn’t stop the nightmares. Like it had never ended, Eddie was back in that room, flat on his back, his muscles refusing to move no matter how much he willed them to. His body felt heavy, like lead weights were attached to all of his joints, preventing him from even twitching - except for his face for some reason. His eyes could still follow the man in the wolf mask as he tested the sharpness of the blade on his hand, his nose wrinkled at the smell of his own blood, his mouth fell open in a scream as he was breached for the first time by the man in the pig mask. He screamed in his mind, _nononononono_ as he relived the very worst parts of his torture, thrashed in his sleep as his body fought the remembered paralytic, and he cried out for his Other, not to save him, but to run, to flee far away, to escape the pain and the degradation, to be free, to not suffer.

**Eddie, wake up. Not going anywhere, Eddie. Here with you, always.**

He came awake and jerked back from the feeling of someone touching him, hands flying up to bat away the unwanted touch and he felt the hurt radiate from Venom as he allowed his tentacle to fall from Eddie’s face. His stomach twisted as he realised that he'd flinched from Venom’s touch but the nightmare was still so fresh in his mind, the feeling of hands on his body, holding him down, opening him up, pinching and twisting, laughing at his pain, that he hadn’t been able to differentiate one from the other. He bolted from his bed, making it to the bathroom just in time to hurl the meagre contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl even as he felt Venom retreat fully back inside of him. He remained kneeling there for several minutes, waited for his stomach to cease churning entirely before he staggered to his feet and rinsed his mouth out with cool water. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, barely recognising the gaunt face that stared back. His cheeks were hollow, dark bags under his eyes only accentuating how the flesh hung from his bones. His time with Venom, hunting and eating for two, bounding across the city and climbing to the very tallest of buildings had honed his body into something strong and powerful but now it had wasted away, ribs protruding from under his skin, his stomach concave instead of flat and strong with the abs that he’d developed almost overnight after they had joined in perfect symbiosis. Three weeks with such little food wouldn’t normally have had such a drastic impact but Venom had needed nourishment and he had consumed fat stores and muscle mass before he’d been forced to move onto more important organs.

The most unrecognisable part of his reflection however was the lack of luminescent eyes and a wide, toothy maw. Even when he was completely inside of Eddie, Venom normally flickered across his features when they looked in the mirror, not just a reminder that he was always there, but because Venom enjoyed seeing them merged so. Now he was conspicuously absent, and Eddie could feel him low in his chest, hidden away behind his diaphragm, stung from the moment of rejection.

“Hey, love, come on out, would you?” he asked, lifting a hand to pat at his shoulder, Venom’s favourite place to coalesce a small head and neck. There was nothing in reply, no rumble of that deep voice or any hint of movement. He sighed and rubbed gently at his skin above where he felt his Other sitting. “V, I’m sorry, that wasn’t aimed at you. I was still in my dream, I thought it was someone else to...tou -” he swallowed heavily and managed to continue, “touching me. Please, love, come out.”

After a beat, his skin prickled at the familiar sensation of Venom emerging from within and soon the symbiote had formed a small head. He rubbed against Eddie’s cheek like a cat but his pearly eyes were downcast.

“There’s that pretty face,” Eddie said softly, reaching up to cup it gently, noticing how Venom leaned into the touch. “I’m sorry I hurt you, love.”

**Nothing to be sorry for. We’re sorry that we scared you.**

Eddie knew that Venom was leaving unsaid ‘sorry that we couldn’t help you’ and he sent a soothing thought inwards, reiterating that he didn’t blame Venom for being affected by the paralytic as well. He could sense the guilt that Venom carried but knew that his Other would have to work through those feelings himself, much like Eddie would have to work through his own feelings of helplessness and fear.

**Need your rest. Go back to bed, Eddie.**

“I don’t know if I’ll sleep again, but sure, I’ll go back to bed.” He hesitated a moment, not wanting to sound too needy but then thought _fuck it_ and asked anyway. “Would you hold me, V? I, uh, always feel safe when you do.”

**Of course, Eddie. Anything you need.**

They climbed back into bed and Venom grew out from Eddie’s body, attached only by a thin thread as he took on his massive form. His powerful body was too big for the bed but he curled himself around Eddie as the big spoon, strong arms pulling Eddie’s back flush against his chest, allowing him to relax for the first time since he’d been taken. “Thanks, love.”

**I’ve got us, Eddie. I’ll keep you safe.**

“I know,” he murmured, suddenly finding himself on the cusp of sleep. “Love you, V.”

**Love you, too, Eddie. Now sleep - I’ll watch over you.**


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie cautiously opened the door, expecting the knock but worried about who he would find there. He looked out to find Dan’s friendly face and a glance down the hall confirmed that he was alone. “I told her to stay home,” the doctor announced, knowing instantly that Eddie had been looking for Anne.

Eddie’s lips twisted up into a small, sheepish smile. “It’s nice that she cares but, I dunno, she can be...well…”

“Overbearing?” Dan supplied, his brown eyes twinkling.

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, a twinge of guilt going through him.

“I know, which is why I put on my ‘stern doctor’ voice and told her to stay away for now. She wasn’t happy with me but as my patient, you’re my priority right now.”

Something warm curled low in Eddie’s stomach at that, and he realised that apart from Venom, it had been a long time since he had been anyone’s priority. His throat grew tight and he swallowed around the lump, willing himself not to burst into tears over the doc’s kindness.

Dan held up his hands, in one was his medical bag, but in the other were bags from the Thai restaurant down the street. “I brought lunch with me too. Mind if I come in?”

Eddie startled, forgetting that they were still standing in the doorway and he quickly moved aside. “Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry.”

“All good. So,” Dan asked as he popped the food onto the kitchen counter, “how are you adjusting to being back home?”

“Um, yeah, okay I guess.” He watched as Dan opened cupboards, looking for plates, and instinctively finding them on the first try, before dishing up the food, one plate piled much higher than the other. 

The doc picked through the bags, looking for something else. “Where have they gone?” he muttered, then made a small sound of triumph. “Aha!” He pulled out a white paper bag, turned almost transparent from grease. “I made sure to get the spring rolls that Venom loves so much.” He added them to the bigger pile and asked casually, “So, is he about at all?”

A small, black head manifested from Eddie’s shoulder and his symbiote looked almost shyly at him.  **“Hello, Dan.”**

“Hey there, buddy. How you doing?”

Eddie could feel Venom’s hesitance to tell the truth and understood completely when he replied with,  **“We are okay.”** Sometimes it was easier to pretend than to unload their traumatic emotional baggage onto someone who really didn't deserve to carry that burden. 

“Hungry?”

**“Always hungry.”**

Dan laughed and picked up the plates. “How ‘bout we try and put a dent in that then?” He moved over to the couch and sat down, placing the bigger plate on the cushion next to him and tucking in.

Eddie slowly moved over to join him, feeling an almost overwhelming gratitude to the doctor. The entire time that he had been in hospital, he’d had people nagging him to eat, saying that he was emaciated and that he needed to put weight back on. Anne, the nurses, the dietician that had come to see him, they’d all treated him like he was suffering from some kind of eating disorder, frowning in concern as they watched him pick at his meals. It was as if he hadn’t lost the weight because he’d been kidnapped, starved, and tortured for three weeks, but that he’d done it deliberately and when he felt too nauseous and sick to stomach any food they tsked at him and puttered about, imploring him to eat.

Dan had focused on Venom, ensuring that the symbiote had the nutrients he needed, sneaking them the brains, and making sure that they had an adequate supply of chocolate. Eddie found it easier to eat when he was doing it to build back up V’s strength, to keep his Other healthy. When he was focused on that, he barely noticed the way that his stomach churned, and could keep down the food that he ate, knowing that his symbiote needed it. Whether Dan simply understood that this would help Eddie to eat, or that he knew that the sooner Venom regained his strength, the sooner he could begin to help his host to heal didn't particularly matter, it was the way that he’d gone about it that Eddie appreciated. 

They ate in companionable silence for a while and it was nice. They both knew that as soon as lunch was over and Dan got around to the real reason that he was here - changing dressings and examining his patient - the mood would shift, become more sombre as the reality of the situation set in. For now though, they were just three friends enjoying Thai food for lunch in a blissfully normal and domestic scenario. 

Eddie held up a spring roll for Venom who bit it in half, showering his host with flakes of pastry.  **“Mmmm, these are good. Thank you, Dan.”**

“Anytime, bud,” the doc said. “Gotta keep you happy so you don’t decide to eat me instead.”

**“We would never eat you,”** Venom promised.  **“You and Annie and Mrs Chen are all on the Do Not Eat list.”**

Dan laughed. “That’s good to know, Venom. Thanks.”

Eddie popped the remaining half of the spring roll into his mouth and Venom’s head twisted around, his eyes narrowing.  **“That was mine! Dan brought those for me!”** he cried in indignation.

Eddie picked up another spring roll and, whilst keeping eye contact, bit into it. “Did he?” he asked around his mouthful. “That’s a shame, they’re delicious.”

**“Traitor!”** Venom roared and his head darted forward, the rest of the roll being snapped up by his toothy maw.  **“Mine! All mine!”**

“You know that we share a stomach, yeah? What I eat, you eat and vice versa.”

**“But these are for** **_me_ ** **to taste. Dan brought them for** **_me.”_ **

“Oh, that’s how it is? What happened to ‘we’ huh?”

**“There’s no ‘we’ when spring rolls are involved,”** Venom teased before he licked a stripe up from Eddie’s chin to his eye.

For the first time in almost a month, Eddie laughed. It was raw and it was sharp, but it was a genuine laugh and that startled him. Dan smiled warmly at him but didn’t make a big deal of it, just held up his forkful of chilli basil beef. “Wanna try some of this?” he offered to Venom, not seeming to care when a slobbering symbiote almost swallowed his entire hand in his haste to try the morsel.

Eddie watched as Venom then pointed to the Jungle Chicken on Dan’s plate and the doctor happily scooped some of it up for him to try, and he felt his whole body relax a miniscule amount. It was just so  _ normal _ and he didn't feel like a victim, didn't feel vulnerable or weak, he just felt like this was a plain, regular day - not that watching his ex-fiancé’s partner feed his alien symbiote could be considered normal, but he supposed it  _ was _ normal for them. He even managed to laugh again as he watched Venom try to slurp up the noodles in the Pad Thai, his long tongue twisting itself almost into a knot as he tried to gather them into his mouth, several pieces of crushed peanut sticking to his snout like confetti.

They soon polished off the food and couldn’t postpone the examination any longer. Dan had rinsed off the plates and was drying his hands on a teatowel when he raised the subject. “So, where would you feel most comfortable? I can change the dressing and do most of it anywhere really but at some point I’ll need you to lie down for me.”

“Oh, uh, I guess we may as well do it in the bedroom then,” Eddie said, fidgeting and unable to meet Dan’s eyes.

“I can put some towels down on the floor if you’d prefer,” he offered. “Bedrooms are kind of a sanctuary and I don’t want yours corrupted with this. You need to feel safe, Eddie.”

“I do, though, with you,” Eddie blurted out. “I trust you, Dan. The uh, the bedroom is fine.”

“Alright then,” he replied, accepting it without the need to ask another three times if he was really sure, like Anne would have done. “Let’s get started then.”

Eddie sat on the end of the bed next to the corner and Dan had him remove his shirt first, and then he carefully checked out the slowly healing cuts and burns that littered his skin. An image of a blade coming closer and closer flashed before Eddie’s eyes but he squeezed them shut, breathed out long and slow, and then concentrated on the gentle touch of the doctor. He was safe here - Dan wouldn’t hurt him and Venom was watching over him; there was no need to panic. The cool touch of the stethoscope grounded him even more in reality and he took in another few deep breaths when instructed before holding out his arm for the blood pressure cuff to be attached. Once the basics had been done, Dan packed away the tools and then smiled at him reassuringly, holding up his shirt. “Why don’t you put this back on before you remove your pants, might make you feel less exposed.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks.” Eddie slipped the shirt on and stood to remove the sleep pants that he was still wearing. Dan excused himself and left to go and wash his hands once more, leaving Eddie in privacy to strip down. He settled down onto the bed, stomach down, covering his junk but feeling exposed and vulnerable with his ass bare. He felt warmth travel down his back and then suddenly he was covered up by Venom as inky blackness spread out over his ass and thighs. “Thanks, love,” he whispered.

Dan returned to the room and he pulled on a pair of latex gloves, giving Eddie a reassuring smile when he turned his head to look up at him. “Depending on how well you’ve healed, the fissures will need to be checked over a few more times. I can show Venom what to look for if you’d like so that he can keep an eye on them, to save you from having to go through with this again. Once they’re healed fully I’d like to do one last check just to make sure that everything is in order, especially if Venom recovers enough to give you a helping hand at healing them the rest of the way, but otherwise you’d avoid this unpleasantness.”

The lump in his throat was back again and it was harder to speak this time. He nodded and managed to croak, “Yeah, yeah that would be great,” before Venom retreated from his skin and Dan got to work. He explained everything that he was about to do before he did it so Eddie expected the touch but also so Venom would know what to do. Of course it would be different for the symbiote since he’d have an ‘inside perspective’ but the mechanics would be the same. Eddie closed his eyes, concentrating on Dan’s quiet voice and gentle touches, and Venom’s deep rumbling voice as he asked questions and clarified certain points, and the cool touch of one of his tentacles as he then copied what the doctor had just done. It wasn’t painful, just uncomfortable (Venom wasn’t strong enough yet to heal him but he was taking the edge off of the pain) and although he  _ did _ feel vulnerable and exposed, Eddie also felt safe. 

He was just starting to finally relax when, in checking on the deepest fissure, Dan’s gloved finger brushed over his prostate. A shiver ran through Eddie and he was mortified to find that his cock began to stir, eager for more of the nice feeling. He shifted a little on the bed, trying to settle his body but the added pressure against his groin only served to send more blood rushing south.

“Shit, sorry about that,” Dan apologised. “Uh, why don't you check this one, Venom? I think you’ve got the hang of it now.” He slipped his finger out but used his hands to hold Eddie’s cheeks apart for Venom and Eddie’s body betrayed him once more as his cock twitched again.

What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d been used as a cum dump by his captors for weeks, had been used and abused, felt dirty and shamed, and yet his nerves were now lighting up at a gentle, yet clinical touch, from Dan of all people! The man was a damn saint for offering to be the one to do all of this and this was the piss poor way in which Eddie repaid him? He was despicable.

He lay there, cheeks heated with shame as the examination concluded and quickly pulled on his sleep pants while Dan cleaned up, tugging the hem of the shirt down as much as he could to hide the fact that he was still sporting a semi. The doc was the epitome of professionalism however, not mentioning it, or even making a condescending statement about how it was ‘normal’, even after everything that Eddie had been through. He just explained that he was healing well, even without Venom’s help, and that he expected Eddie to make a full recovery. 

“I should have the results from your labs back in a day or two,” Dan told them as they walked him to the door. “I can let you know the news via text if you’d prefer? Or I can come round, whatever makes you more comfortable.”

**“We like having you here,”** Venom said before Eddie could respond.  **“Especially when you bring spring rolls.”**

Dan chuckled. “I’m happy to come here and bring more spring rolls with me,  _ if _ that’s okay with Eddie.” 

“Yeah, yeah sure it is,” Eddie assured him, flicking his eyes up to make eye contact. “Thanks, Dan, for everything.” He felt the overwhelming urge to hug Dan but resisted, knowing that it wouldn’t be appropriate after everything that had happened.

Venom however didn’t care much for societal niceties and he stretched forward and nuzzled against Dan’s cheek. The doctor’s eyes widened a little in shock but then he was smiling blindingly and he reached up and scritched the top of Venom’s head. Eddie felt like purring as he experienced the ghost of the sensation via his bond. “Make sure to call or text if you need anything, even if it’s just to chat,” he told them. “Take care, I’ll speak soon.” Then he was gone and when the door closed behind him, the apartment felt much emptier.

Eddie turned around and pressed his back to the door, being careful not to put too much pressure on his stitches. He was still half hard and he had a fleeting urge to tug himself out of his pants and jerk off. He knocked his head back against the wood and his eyes fell closed, the sting from the bump smothering his growing desire. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” he asked out loud, but Venom didn’t reply, just absorbed back under his skin and curled up snugly around his heart. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Eddie was on paid medical leave from work (he’d lucked out with his new company as they had great health insurance) so there was no hurry to push himself faster than necessary. He tired quickly, noticing that Venom did as well, and was pretty sure that the amount that he was sleeping had more to do with his symbiote’s recovery than it did his own. After his check up with Dan, he’d collapsed onto the couch and had fallen asleep almost instantly, remaining that way for most of the day, before waking long enough to make dinner, before heading to bed to sleep for another fourteen hours. Today had been much the same - wake up, eat, nap, eat, doze off, eat, nap, repeat. He didn't mind the inactivity since he knew that Venom needed the time to recuperate (and he couldn’t wait for that recovery since it would mean that he would also recover faster then). What he _did_ mind was the way that his thoughts strayed as he was drifting off to sleep, or half dosing, or even the direction his dreams took. He wasn’t having anywhere near the number of nightmares that he’d expected, which was a _good_ thing, better than good, _great_ in fact, but his actual dreams were more concerning in some ways.

He dreamed of Dan.

And wasn’t that just fucked up. He’d experimented with guys back in college, and although he’d not been with a man since, much preferring women these days, it wasn’t Dan’s gender that was the issue. Leaving aside the whole fact that he was probably imprinting on Dan after undergoing such a traumatic experience and the guy had been _kind_ to him, the biggest problem with this situation was the fact that _Dan was with Annie now_ . And wasn’t _that_ just fucking hilarious. Eddie had spent the first month after reconnecting with Anne through the Life Foundation fiasco forcibly setting aside his lingering feelings for his ex because she had moved on, found a guy who was good to her, treated her the way that _he_ should have treated her. He was _happy_ for her, wished her only the best, and he knew that the best didn't involve himself. And so he had moved on, gotten well and truly over his romantic longing for the lawyer. He looked at Anne now and saw a great friend, and someone that he trusted with his life, but he didn’t see someone that he was attracted to anymore. Sure, Anne was objectively beautiful, but it didn’t stoke the fire in him any longer. Now that he’d _finally_ moved on from that mess and had thought that he was beyond fucking up her life, he’d gone and developed a crush on her damn boyfriend. Her smart, attractive, kind, funny, all round nice guy boyfriend, with those plush, kissable lips.

**Eddie, what is wrong? Your heart rate is increasing.**

“Urgh, it’s nothing, V, don’t worry about it.” He got up and went to the fridge to get a Mars bar, hoping that chocolate would distract his symbiote from asking any further questions.

Venom swallowed the bar almost whole and then immediately said, **It’s obviously not ‘nothing’.** So much for that thought.

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he said, and immediately regretted his choice of words. Saying that he didn’t want to talk about something had proved in the past to be a red flag for ‘there’s something big/important/scary that I’m trying to avoid’ and Venom had decided that those things needed to be explored immediately. The pattern held and suddenly the symbiote’s attention was turned inwards and Eddie experienced the odd sensation of having his memories rifled through.

**You’re thinking about Dan.**

Shit. “Uh, yeah, yeah I was.”

**You want to kiss Dan.**

“Uh, maybe?”

Inky darkness pooled out of his skin and then formed into a small head and neck. The big, wide eyes watched Eddie curiously. **You told me that it was wrong for us to want Anne because she was with someone else, but now you want Dan? He is with Anne.**

“Fuck, it’s complicated, V. I don’t think I actually _want_ Dan - I think it’s my mind playing tricks on me, trying to cope with what happened.”

**Your mind makes you desire someone sexually to deal with your sexual abuse?**

He closed his eyes and rubbed at them, wishing he could be anywhere else but having this conversation. “Not entirely, but sort of, I guess. It’s hard to explain but I think it’s because after I was hurt and subjected to, well, _that_ , Dan was gentle and nice and my brain has latched onto that. I don't think the feelings are real, love.” He reached up and stroked along the smooth skin. “Why would I need anyone else, anyway, when I have you?”

Venom considered this as he butted his head against Eddie’s hand, almost like a cat. **You have me but you don’t want me like that, not at the moment.** It was a harsh truth but it was true that Eddie hadn’t wanted to be intimate since.

“I don’t want Dan either, V - my mind might throw up images of what it would be like to kiss him, but if he was here for real, I don’t think I’d want that. It’s gonna take some time for me to get back to being okay with somebody touching me in that way again, even you who I trust implicitly.”

**What if after you’ve had time, you still want Dan? What if these feelings are real?**

“Darling, I have _you_ \- I don’t need anyone else, okay. You won’t lose me.”

Venom made the equivalent sound to a snort. **Not worried we’ll lose you. We are Venom, we are one. You are mine.**

“Always yours, love.”

**One thing humans do that the Klyntar didn't is share.**

“What?”

**If you do want Dan, we could share. We like Dan, Dan likes Eddie, if Dan wanted you then we could share.**

“Woah, buddy, you’re still forgetting that he’s with Annie. I wouldn't be surprised if he pops the question soon, they’re that serious.”

**Doesn't matter, seen the way he looks at you, all along. He thinks you have a nice ass, always looking at it.**

“Wait, he does?”

**You have a nice ass, Eddie - everyone looks at it, but Dan looks more than everyone else.**

“Okay, okay, okay,” he said, taking in a deep breath. “Let’s just bring this to a stop. Look, I’m in no state to even be considering shit like this right now, so let’s just put the brakes on, yeah?”

**We will wait, but we won’t forget, Eddie. That is a promise.**

Eddie knew that Venom wasn’t lying, that he _would_ raise the matter again at a later date, and he found that a tiny piece of him was looking forward to it.

Eddie threw himself into work, continuing his investigations into Hanna Corp. Sure, his first exposé had pissed them off enough to send thugs after him, inject him with a paralytic, rape and torture him, but then they’d just let him go and he wanted to know _why_ \- _needed_ to know why. They were clearly not worried about a police investigation and so Eddie concentrated on that point of interest, positive that if he just dug deep enough, he’d have his answers. He called in a few favours, followed a few hunches, and after following an electronic paper trail, he had narrowed down several possibilities, all without leaving his apartment. He was almost certain that several officers high up in the ranks of the SFPD were crooked, but to be one hundred percent sure, he would need to hit the ground running, and with V still out of commission, that wasn’t an option right now.

He stretched, feeling how sore his muscles were and a a glance at the clock showed him that he had been working for almost eleven hours straight. “Shit,” he said softly, surprised that his symbiote hadn't forced him to eat or sleep like he normally did.

Catching this train of thought, Venom rumbled inside of him, **Need this, Eddie. Need to know so we can not only get revenge, to stop them, but to heal our heart and our mind.**

It was true - his physical injuries were healing well, even without Venom’s help, but his emotional state would be what haunted him the longest. He already felt helpless and lost most of the time as it was, but this had taken it to a whole other level and he would be dealing with the fallout for a long time to come. If they could confront these men and defeat them, then it would go a long way to furthering that process. To do that though, they would have to be prepared and for that, he needed Dan.

As if the mere thought of him had summoned him, Eddie’s phone chimed with a text from the doctor. _Have your lab results. Can I come over?_

Eddie sent back an affirmative reply and then looked down at himself with a grimace. He was a mess, still wearing the clothes he’d changed into when he’d gotten back from hospital which were now sweat stained and covered in coffee drips and food stains. He lifted an arm and sniffed at his armpit, wincing as the stench hit him. “Why didn't you tell me I stink, V?”

**You didn't even notice when I cooked tots for us, didn't think you’d notice me commenting on your body odour.**

“Fair enough.” He figured that he had time for a shower and he hurried into the bathroom, telling himself that he was doing it so he’d feel human again, _not_ to make a good impression on Dan.

 **Keep telling yourself that,** Venom chortled and Eddie felt himself blush. He really had to get this damn crush under control before he made an absolute fool of himself. Hopefully getting to the bottom of the Hanna Corp scandal and taking them down for good would also help distract him from the feelings that he was sure weren’t even real. Real or not, they _felt_ pretty damn real though and he hated the way his body responded to the simplest of thoughts about the handsome doctor. Venom perked up a little as his cock plumped out and he slithered out to nuzzle at his host’s cheek.

 **I can help with that,** he offered.

Eddie took a moment and actually considered it but then dismissed the idea as they just didn’t have enough time. He was struck with simple clarity however that he didn't want what those monsters had done to him to affect his relationship with his symbiote. They had taken so much from them already - he didn't want them to take the intimacy that they shared. “Maybe later tonight, when we have more time?” he suggested

 **Whenever you want,** Venom agreed, licking a stripe up his cheek.

“Love you, V.”

**Love you too, Eddie.**

His hair was still damp when Dan knocked at the door and he hurried over to open it, schooling his expression so he didn't seem too eager. “Hey, Dan, come on in,” he greeted him, opening the door the entire way.

“Thanks.” He held up a greasy paper bag in one hand, while the other was busy holding a cooler bag. “I didn't bring a full meal but I got three serves of spring rolls.”

A tentacle reached out and gently took the bag from him. **“This is why we like you,”** Venom said in his rumbly voice.

A hint of a blush coloured Dan’s cheeks and he slid off his light jacket, pulling an envelope from one of the inside pockets. “So, I got your labs,” he announced, following Eddie over to sit on the couch.

“You seem much calmer this time then when you found out that I had an atrophied heart,” Eddie joked, ignoring the affronted huff from his symbiote. “I know, I know - you were gonna fix me,” he soothed Venom.

“That’s because you have a relatively clean bill of health this time round,” Dan told him. “Your white blood counts are almost back to normal so the infected cuts are clearing up nicely, the STI panel came back negative, though you’ll have to be tested again in a few months since some of them won’t show up yet, and other than being deficient in a few vitamins that a supplement will help with, there’s no major issues.”

“Wow, that’s a relief,” Eddie said, letting out an explosive breath. “Looks like you won’t have a lot of work to do once you’re up and running, V.”

 **“It won’t be long and I’ll be well enough to double check.”** Venom crunched down on a spring roll, chewing happily.

“Uh, well, that’s the other reason why I came round,” Dan said, looking around the room as if he was expecting to find someone eavesdropping on them.

Eddie raised an eyebrow, not saying out loud that it _had_ occurred to him that it was a little odd that the doctor had taken time out of his busy day just to come and tell him good news. He could have just as easily sent a text, or made a phone call. Instead, he had come here in person. “Oh?”

“I uh, well, I got you some more....supplies.” His eyes darted to the cooler bag at his feet.

“Supplies?”

Before Dan could clarify, Venom’s head ducked down and he nosed at the bag, a thin tendril finding the zip and pulling it open. **“Brains!”** he announced happily, flipping the bag open and Eddie saw several pale pink masses nestled within plastic bags.

“I figured that you could use the nutrients,” Dan replied bashfully.

“Oh, wow,” Eddie said, and it was all he could do to stop from choking up again. “That’s super nice of you, man, thanks.”

“Hey, if _someone_ can get some use out of them, then why waste them?”

**“Eddie, want them now! Hungry, Eddie!”**

“Yeah, that’s nothing new, love.” He reached down to pull out one of the bags just as Dan did and their heads knocked together painfully. “Ow,” Eddie cried as he jerked back, rubbing at his forehead.

“Shit, sorry, are you okay?”

Eddie tried to wave off his concern - he had a thick skull and if there was any _actual_ damage, Venom would be able to fix it after this little feast, but the doctor was adamant. He gently cradled the sides of Eddie’s face, holding him still and then brushed his fingers lightly over the lump that was forming on his temple. Eddie couldn’t look away from Dan’s face, not with his head held in such a manner, and he saw the mirroring red mark on the man’s forehead. Dan’s brown eyes were searching as he carefully prodded the area, and then they darted down to meet Eddie’s gaze. The lump in his throat wasn’t from wanting to cry this time, and he struggled to swallow, his throat dry. “Think I’ll live?” he rasped.

One side of Dan’s lips twitched up into a smirk and his eyes seemed to twinkle (Eddie hoped that was just the play of the light and not because he had a concussion). “You’re lucky that you have a _very_ good doctor - I won’t let you die on me today.”

Venom was still busily snuffling at the bags of brains and had almost successfully gotten one open, but he must have still been listening into the conversation as he piped up with, **“When Eddie accidentally hit my head on the wall of the shower, he kissed it better.”**

“Oh, God,” Eddie whispered and squeezed his eyes shut. “That’s totally mortifying. Thanks, V.”

“Is that so?” Dan asked, the hint of a tease in his voice. “I guess if it works…” And then Eddie felt the soft press of lips against his temple.

He knew that it was simply because they were friends, and Dan was a nice guy, and that he had a bigger sense of humour than people gave him credit for, but it still set Eddie’s stomach fluttering. He knew that he was blushing like some maid, but he couldn't help it. He opened his eyes to find Dan watching him closely. “Better?” the doc asked.

“M...much,” he managed to stammer.

“Glad I could help,” he murmured. With one last soft caress of his forehead, Dan let his hands drop from Eddie’s face.

A mouthy symbiote may have been what got Eddie into the situation in the first place, but he also made a good distraction. **“Hungry, Eddie. Help!”** Eddie quickly freed the brain the rest of the way and held it as Venom devoured it. He then removed the other three brains, much to Venom’s delight, and watched as they were inhaled just as quickly. Venom then belched daintily and curled himself up on Eddie’s lap, another of his feline tendencies, and chittered happily as Eddie stroked him.

“Better, bud?” Dan asked.

 **“Yes, thank you, Dan,”** the satiated symbiote replied politely.

He gathered up the cooler bag and then said, “Right, well I guess I should be off then.”

“Before you go, I just have one question,” Eddie said, standing along with him.

“Anything, Eddie - you just have to ask.”

“The lab results - did they determine what it was that they used to drug me with?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah they did. Hang on a sec.” Dan dug around in his back pocket where he’d shoved the folded piece of paper and fished it out, sitting down again. “Let’s see, where was it? Here we go. So, they used a curare based substance - nothing new there, it’s what the modern paralytics used in surgery are based on, but there were some anomalies in the compound.”

“Anomalies? What sort?” Eddie asked, taking his own seat and making a concerted effort to not sit too close.

“It’s hard to say what they cut it with, as there were several unknown substances found, but I’d hazard a guess and say that whoever manufactured the drug found a way to limit the paralytic.”

“Limit it? I literally couldn’t move, Dan, couldn’t st...st...stop them.” He suddenly felt cold all over.

“Hey, hey, no, not in that way,” the doc backpedaled, laying a reassuring hand on Eddie’s knee. “Limited in that they’ve found some way for it to not affect the diaphragm. Normally it affects all the major muscles, including the diaphragm which is why when it’s used in conjunction with an anesthetic, the patient requires a respirator. You said though that you could breathe.”

Eddie nodded. “Breathe, speak, see.” He paused, needing to take a moment before he added, “Feel.” The hand on his knee was so warm and he wanted to do nothing else than twine their fingers together, but instead he kept his own busy with petting Venom.

“I have no idea how it’s possible that they managed to isolate that one function - to be honest, it shouldn’t have been, but you’re the living proof that they have.”

“How they managed it doesn’t really matter to me,” Eddie confessed. “What I’m wondering is, is there a way to counter the effect if they hit me with it again?”

Dan’s eyes flickered to the laptop, still open to a page of notes Eddie had been making and his hand spasmed involuntarily, clamping down on Eddie’s knee. “You mean, if you went after them and they tried again?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, exactly like that.”

Dan’s brown eyes were full of concern. “Is that a risk you really want to take?”

He swallowed hard. “I have to, Dan, I have to do this so I can move past this.”

“Getting revenge doesn’t guarantee that it’ll fix all the issues that this caused.”

“I know, but I have to try.”

Dan blew a long breath out and Eddie couldn’t help but watch the way that his lips pursed. “Okay, right, well there are numerous anti-curare drugs out there, all cholinesterase inhibitors. I’ll see if I can get my hands on any leftover samples of your blood, hope to hell they haven’t been destroyed as yet. If I can, I’ll try the anti-curares on a sample and see which one is the most effective countermeasure.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Eddie asked, shocked. This would be crossing a line and he had little doubt that the doctor could get in big trouble if he was discovered.

“Hey, what are friends for?” Dan quipped. “Annie got to help you out before so now it’s just my turn.”

Giving into temptation, Eddie gave Dan’s hand a quick squeeze. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that. Everything you’d done for us, really.”

“Anytime, Eddie.” He stood up again. “Right, I really better go this time - it’ll be shift change soon so that’ll be the perfect time to try and get my hands on those samples.”

Eddie nodded and stood up, cradling Venom to his chest. The symbiote didn't sleep per se but he did enter states of almost meditation - his version of rest - and he was probably also suffering the results of a food coma after consuming not only tots and spring rolls but also four brains. They walked Dan to the door and watched as he shrugged his jacket on and Eddie wondered if it would be weird if he hugged him.

“Call if you need me, yeah?” Dan said, giving him a soft smile.

“Sure, will do.”

Dan paused, as if he wanted to do something but then seemed to shake himself and he turned to open the door.

 **“Wait,”** Venom said sleepily, coming out of his doze.

“What’s wrong?” Dan asked.

 **“You didn't get kissed better,”** Venom said, and then he moved forward and pressed a sloppy, toothy kiss to the red welt still lingering on Dan’s temple. **“There, all better. Now you can go.”**

Dan blushed once again and his eyes met Eddie’s, something unspoken passing between them. “Speak soon,” he said softly, and then he was gone, leaving Eddie feeling inexplicably alone.


	4. Chapter 4

A cool, slick tendril wrapped itself around Eddie’s cock and his breath hitched as it began to stroke him up and down. **Is this alright?**

The hesitancy in Venom’s voice broke his heart but Eddie couldn’t blame him - the way he’d flinched from his Other’s comforting touch during his nightmare had hurt the symbiote deeply and he could feel through their bond the worry that he’d shy away once more. “Feels so good, love,” he assured him, reaching down to run a hand along his smooth, inky skin.

**Want to make Eddie feel good.**

“You always do, V, you’re so good at it.”

Venom chittered happily and then flicked out his long, wet tongue, letting it join the tendril, moving in a slick counterpoint to it. It felt divine but there was still a tenseness to Eddie’s body, he was just slightly on edge and he realised that he was dreading the moment that the tendril would drop down further, slip between his cheeks...he squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself over and over that he wasn’t back in that room, that this wasn’t those men, it was Venom, his love, and he was safe with him, his Other would never hurt him. A small cry escaped his mouth despite his best efforts and he knew that his cock was flagging.

**Eddie, what’s wrong, Eddie? Does it not feel good?**

“Oh, V, it does, I swear.”

The small head that Venom had formed floated in front of Eddie’s face and he reached out to cup it gently. His symbiote had seemed to sense that this small, cute form would be better received than his true, hulking form; less intimidating, safer. **Then what is it? Why is Eddie upset?**

“I’m not sure if I’m ready for everything, love, not ready for all the things that we usually do.”

Venom’s head cocked to one side and his big, opalescent eyes regarded Eddie seriously. **You are concerned about penetration?**

He swallowed loudly. “Uh, yeah,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

**Wasn’t going to, Eddie. Have healed you now but have to wait for Dan to check you one last time, to make sure you are healed properly before we do that.**

“Oh.”

**Wouldn’t do that without asking anyway. Know that it scares you now.**

“Oh, darling, I’m sorry, I’m _so_ sorry.”

**Why?**

“Because I’m broken now!” he cried. “I didn’t want what they did to me to ruin what we had but I can’t help thinking about those horrible men and it tarnishes what we do together. I’m so sorry.”

The small head butted against his face and Venom’s tongue came out to lick a reassuring stripe up his cheek. **Not broken, just...delicate. Your pleasure is my pleasure and it doesn't matter** **_how_ ** **it happens.**

“I love you so much, V.”

**I know, love you too. We are one, we are Venom.**

“I’m sorry in advance if I freak out again.”

**It’s understandable, but we don't want you thinking of those men - it hurts you.**

He smiled sadly. “I don’t mean to - it just happens.”

**We will distract you with good thoughts then, make you think of other things.**

“Like what? How good your tongue can make me feel?” he asked, his voice teasing in an attempt to get back on track, to stop the thoughts before they could take hold. He closed his eyes, concentrating entirely on his Other.

 **That will be part of it, yes,** Venom purred in his mind, his tongue working its way over his face before dropping down to lick at his softened cock, making it begin to rouse once more. **But there are other thoughts to distract you too.**

“Oh?” he asked, enjoying the way that Venom could continue the conversation while his tongue was busy at work, licking him from root to tip. “What thoughts would those be?”

**Dan’s clever fingers, working their way over your skin, while you kiss those plush lips of his.**

Eddies eyes snapped open even as his cock swelled, instantly standing to attention. “ _What?”_

 **See, you’re already distracted,** Venom said smugly, lapping at the pre-come pulsing from the tip of his cock.

“I don’t know if this is appropriate, V. He’s not only my friend, but he’s my _doctor_.”

 **What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, but it will make you feel** **_very_ ** **good.**

Now that the image of Dan was planted in his head, Eddie couldn’t help but picture him further. He wasn’t sure if it was entirely his own, sordid imagination or if Venom was projecting images into his mind, but he could so easily picture Dan on his knees before him, strong hands on Eddie’s hips, those lips kissing their way down, down, down, all the way to his cock, wrapping around his length, swallowing him down. His cock twitched violently and then the tendril was back, wrapping around his length and stroking up and down, squeezing under the head in _just_ the right way. “Fuck,” he called in a breathy voice, his head falling back as he enjoyed the sensation.

**I got you, Eddie, will always take care of you.**

“God, V, you take care of me so good,” he moaned as that devilish tongue slithered down to slick the way for the tendril.

**Deserve good things, Eddie, deserve only the best.**

“That’s why I’ve got you, love - you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

**Deserve Dan too, he would be good for you.**

Eddie bit down on the automatic reply about how he couldn’t possibly _have_ Dan, that he was with Annie, that he was taken and not interested. This was a safe place, somewhere that he could fantasise and so he let himself go, imagining all the ways in which he _could_ have what he wanted. “Fuck, V, want to watch him touch you, want to watch _you_ touch _him,_ take him apart the way that you do me, fill him up so full with you while I fill his mouth with my cock.”

**Would look so good, your cock down his throat.**

“Yeah? You’d want to see that?”

**Can picture the expression on your face, so full of pleasure, so full of desire.**

“I’d fuck his mouth so good, V, put on a good show for you, shoot my load so far down his throat that you could taste it.”

**Maybe I’d fill him so full that I’d meet you halfway? Could lick across your slit from the inside.**

Okay, so it might have been a physical impossibility but the visual of that was so hot that Eddie couldn’t hold back anymore. His whole body spasmed and shuddered, his back arching as he came, shooting hot stripes of come all over his stomach, the tendril wrapped around his cock, and also across Venom’s tongue. The symbiote purred and licked him clean while Eddie flopped back boneless on the bed. **Not impossible,** Venom rumbled.

“Huh?”

 **It’s not entirely impossible, what you imagined. Would have to be Dan’s cock down** **_your_ ** **throat but we could certainly reach him from inside of you.**

“Oh, fuck,” Eddie groaned, reaching up to cover his eyes. Now that he was coming down from his post-orgasm high, his shame was notching up a level and he couldn’t believe that he'd allowed himself to indulge like that. How the hell was he ever going to be able to look Dan in the eye ever again? Just the thought of Venom’s suggestion made his cock valiantly try to respond and he silently willed it to settle down, already having crossed the line once tonight.

 **How are you feeling?** Venom asked cautiously.

Eddie understood that he was asking about the sexual release and not about his inappropriate thoughts about a certain doctor and he took a moment to actually consider it. “Fine, I think. I mean, I didn't come when they were ra...doing those things to me, so that in itself doesn't seem to be a problem.”

**So as long as I don’t penetrate you, it’s alright?**

He winced a little, always taken a little off guard by Venom’s use of such terminology but couldn’t deny that it got the point across. “Yeah, I guess so.”

**And are you okay with me holding you?**

“God, V, always. Come’ere.”

His Other took their full form and curled around him from behind, holding him close and Eddie relaxed against him. He felt safe and loved and as he drifted off to sleep he thought only of Venom and how they would forever be a ‘we’.

“Oh, Annie, hey, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Yes, well, Dan couldn’t keep me away from you forever, I don’t care what he says. I care about you Eddie and want to be here for you.”

He stepped back to allow her in and she was followed by an apologetic looking Dan. Eddie’s heart flipped at the sight of him and he was sure that he was blushing so he just nodded awkwardly to the doctor and turned to take Anne’s coat. “Um, okay.”

“I told her that it wouldn’t be appropriate, that this is a _medical check up_ ,” Dan said, stressing the word and for the first time since he'd known him, Eddie noticed that Dan looked pissed at his partner. “She was adamant however but if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I _will_ send her home before we start.”

“Uncomfortable? Why would it make him feel uncomfortable?” Anne demanded, and it was clear that this wasn't the first time that they’d argued about this. “I’m not only his friend but also his ex, Dan - I’ve seen Eddie in all states and he knows that I would never hurt him or judge him.”

“And I’m telling you that this is _different_. He’s suffered through things that you have no damn clue about, Annie, so everything you knew before goes out the window.”

She glared at him, her jaw set in a way that Eddie remembered well from their arguments. “Maybe he would feel more comfortable if I _was_ here, you don’t know for a fact that he won’t.”

“Maybe you should _ask_ Eddie then instead of just assuming!” Dan snapped.

Venom had emerged from Eddie’s shoulder and the two of them were watching the argument like a tennis match. It probably would have been comical if it weren’t for the fact that they were arguing over him. “Dan, it’s okay, she can stay for now,” Eddie said, wanting to placate the fiery blonde.

“You sure?” Those warm brown eyes were so full of concern for Eddie that it made his heart ache.

“Yeah, we may as well just have a coffee first, yeah? Then maybe later, when you have to do what you do, she could maybe wait downstairs?”

“Really, Eddie?” Anne asked, shocked. “You don’t want me here?”

“Not for that, no, sorry. It’s um, well, I’ve had enough people looking at me like I’m a piece of meat lately, I just don’t want anyone else seeing me like that.”

“Christ, Eddie, I didn't mean that I was going to _watch_ ,” she said, horrified. “I just thought I could hold your hand, talk to you to distract you.”

He felt bad at having assumed the worst but a glance to Dan, seeing the encouraging expression on his face gave him the courage to continue. “Still, I’d rather you not be anywhere near me. It’s nothing personal, Annie, I just would feel more comfortable if it was just Dan.”

“Huh, okay, well that’s fine then, it’s all fine.” She forced a smile onto her face as she nodded. “Right, well how about I get some coffee brewing?”

She headed into the kitchen, leaving them in relative privacy. “Thanks,” Eddie said simply.

“No problems,” Dan told him warmly, reaching up and squeezing his shoulder. “I told you before, you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want, Eddie - this is all about what you’re comfortable with.”

He nodded, acutely aware of how warm the doc’s hand was on his shoulder. “I just hate to think that I’ve caused trouble between you two.” He made a point to not think about Dan on his knees, mouth wrapped around his cock and how much trouble _that_ would cause.

“You haven’t caused _any_ trouble, alright? You can’t take responsibility for what happens between Annie and I.”

“Okay, well if you’re sure.” Dan still hadn’t let go of his shoulder and Eddie found that he craved more of his touch.

“Always sure.” He glanced furtively over towards Anne, making sure that she was preoccupied. “I have some news about what you asked me to look into, too,” he whispered.

“Already?” It had only been two days.

Dan nodded and then saw his partner move towards them. “Later,” he said, and went to help her with the mugs.

The visit was slightly awkward, no one really knowing what to say. Eddie asked Anne about work, and Mr Belvadere, then he dodged her questions about who did he think was responsible for his kidnapping. Dan jumped in with an anecdote from work, changing the subject jarringly but Eddie was thankful. Venom spoke about a documentary that he had watched while Eddie slept, all about penguins and he said that they looked delicious, then asked Eddie to take him to Antarctica so that he could eat one. After that there was a long, awkward silence as they ran out of things to say until Dan broke it. “How about we get your check up over and done with?” he asked. “That way you can get us out of your hair.”

Eddie agreed and Anne stood up. “Fine, I guess I’ll go wait in the car.” She went to press a kiss to Eddie’s cheek and he flinched away from her automatically. She sighed but forced another smile. “Okay, well, take care of yourself, Eddie. Bye, Venom.” They watched as she left, and guilt stirred in his gut.

“None of that,” Dan chided.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“I can see that you feel bad about your reaction but don’t. She’ll get over it, it’s completely natural for you to not want people touching you like that.”

Eddie wanted to point out that Dan’s touch didn't bother him but he didn't know how that would be taken. Instead he just gestured to the bedroom. “In there again?”

“Sure. This will be over with soon enough and then you can go back to not having me in your space every couple of days.”

 **“We like having you here, Dan,”** Venom said with his usual lack of tact.

“I like seeing you guys too,” the doctor replied easily, “but my presence has got to be a painful reminder, one that Eddie probably doesn’t need.”

Eddie shook his head vehemently. “No, not at all. You uh, well, you make me feel safe.” He couldn’t look at Dan while he said it but he needed him to know.

There was a long silence and he finally looked up to find Dan watching him closely. “Eddie?” he asked softly.

“Yeah?”

“Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?”

He nodded. “S...sure,” he stammered.

Dan approached slowly, as if Eddie was a skittish colt and then his arms were sliding around his shoulders, holding him close. Eddie clutched at the material of Dan’s shirt, letting his face press against the crook of his neck, not knowing what this meant, but not wanting it to end. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are?” the doctor whispered. “The both of you? I am _honoured_ that you feel safe with me - thank you for telling me, it means so much to me.”

 **“Thank you for taking such good care of Eddie,”** Venom said. “ **You will never know how much that means to us.”**

“Hey, it’s really no problem at all. Couldn’t leave my two best guys to someone else’s subpar care now, could I?”

It was clearly meant as a joke but Eddie couldn’t help but latch onto the ‘two best guys’ part. He desperately hoped that maybe he wasn’t imagining things, that maybe some of these weird, fucked up, bloody brilliant feelings were reciprocated, even if it would mean a whole level of confusion and angst and complications if they were. Because as much as he fantasised about it, reality would be a totally different story - it would mean dealing with Dan either cheating on Annie, leaving her, or having an extremely awkward discussion about possibly sharing Dan. None of those scenarios were pleasant to think about, and it didn’t paint Eddie in a great light that he considered that a clandestine affair would be the easiest way out for him. He wasn’t the bravest person in the world that was for sure, and certainly not the most honourable.

Venom chose that moment to ask another of his embarrassingly direct questions, clearly having skimmed the surface of Eddie’s thoughts. **“Best guys? Are we really your two best guys?”**

Dan laughed and just hugged Eddie tighter, and he turned his head a little to see that the doc was also tangled around his symbiote as well. “Course you both are.”

 **What does that mean?** Venom asked silently.

 _I have no idea,_ Eddie replied in the privacy of their mind.

**We like the way he hugs us.**

_So do I, love. So do I._

As nice as it was, the hug had to come to an end before it got too creepy on either of their parts and they separated, Dan’s cheeks looking just as flushed as Eddie’s felt. “Okay, how ‘bout we get started?” he suggested.

Eddie nodded and Venom sunk beneath his skin to allow him to remove his shirt. Dan trailed his fingers lightly over Eddie’s back and made a small hum of surprise. “What is it?” Eddie asked.

“Venom?” Dan asked in reply, “I take it you got enough strength back to heal all of Eddie’s wounds.”

He formed a head and neck once more, bobbing up and down in a nod. **“Yes. After the brains, we regained all of our strength.”**

“That’s great to hear. Hmm, I wonder…” He carefully peeled off the dressing that covered the stitches and started to laugh.

Eddie twisted his neck around, trying to see. “What? What is it?”

“I’m guessing that Venom forgot to tell you that you could take off your dressing.” He held out his hand, his palm cupped, holding numerous pieces of suture thread, all still neatly tied into little knots. “I’m guessing that he expelled them from your body when he healed the cut.”

“Huh, I guess so. I didn't even feel it.”

**“We did it while you were sleeping. It’s easier when your body is relaxed.”**

“Wow, thanks, love.”

“Okay, well I guess there’s just one last thing to check,” Dan said, still totally professional. “I’ll just go and wash up and leave you to get ready for me.”

Suddenly Eddie felt like a bundle of nerves and he nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He peeled out of his jeans and boxers, shucking them to one side, not bothering to pick them up and fold them. “V?” he asked quietly.

**Yes?**

“Any chance you could take control of my junk and make sure it doesn’t misbehave?”

**Of course we can do that but why would we? Would it not be a clear signal to Dan that we desire him?**

He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut. When he answered, his voice had a slight squeak to it. “Yeah, yeah it would, but it’s really not appropriate, V. Please? Can you just do this for me today, please?”

**Don’t understand, Eddie, but we will do this because you asked us.**

“Thanks, love.” He settled down onto the bed, face down and waited nervously for Dan to return. It wasn’t long before he did, and as before, he talked Eddie through each step of the examination. Eddie for his part tried his best to think of the touches clinically - he didn’t doubt that Venom wouldn’t keep his word, but he also didn’t think it would be a great idea to think of a medical examination in a sexual manner. He’d have thought that the entire reason behind _needing_ the examination in the first place would be enough of a deterrent but he’d covered enough stories about sexual assault survivors in his Brock Report days to know that people all reacted differently to stimulus afterwards - some never wanted to be touched again, others found that they had a healthier libido than before, so long as it was consensual.

“You’ve done a great job, Venom,” Dan praised and Eddie felt his symbiote trill happily within him. “It’s like they were never there.”

Eddie swallowed hard as Dan continued to prod and stroke his inner walls gently, checking for any residual damage but he soon seemed happy that he was entirely healed and he pulled his gloved finger out. Eddie felt his hole flutter at the loss and hoped that Dan didn't see, and he quickly sat up and took his jeans that the doc passed over to him.

He dressed as Dan washed up again and then they headed through to the main room once more. “So, uh, you said that you had some news?” Eddie said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he stood awkwardly in the living area.

Dan, bless him, was acting completely normal - not at all like Eddie had just been spread apart for him in the most vulnerable of positions while he checked for tears to his anus - and he sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone, beckoning him forward. “Sure do. So, the great news is that the remaining samples of yours were still in storage. Now normally, especially with Venom, that might be concerning, but phlebotomy have a policy to keep any samples that are part of an active police investigation so it actually worked in our favour. I tried three anti-curare drugs against your blood and found that two of them combined had the best result at rendering the paralytic useless.” He then showed them several images taken from an electron microscope and at that point Eddie lost the thread of the conversation as he began talking in an entirely different language.

 **I don’t understand,** Venom said inside his head. **What language is this?**

_Ah, I believe it’s called ‘chemistry’._

**And you are not fluent?**

_Not even close, love._

As Venom grumbled about how Eddie was a loser for his lack of knowledge, Eddie just got caught up in watching Dan speak, especially his mouth. Every now and then his tongue would dart out to wet his bottom lip, or he would purse his lips as he thought about how to word part of his explanation, and it was completely mesmerising. Eddie simply couldn’t look away, noticing that although Dan was always clean shaven, his stubble was already beginning to show, and he couldn’t help but imagine how delicious the burn would be against his skin. His eyes wandered along that stubble line, up his cheek and sitting this close, and watching this intently, Eddie discovered that Dan had a cute little freckle just at the hinge of his jaw. The desire to lean in and lick it was so great that he found himself slowly leaning towards the doctor, inching ever so closer.

It was then that Dan looked up from his phone and he must have thought that Eddie’s eyes looked glazed as he suddenly got a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry, I uh, got a little carried away there.”

Shaking himself from the trance-like state that he’d been in, Eddie realised how close he'd gotten and yanked himself back on the couch, making sure to sit a socially acceptable distance away. “No! It’s fine, it’s all good. You just, uh, lost me for a bit, sorry. Chem isn’t my strong suit.”

“Man, you must think that I’m one of those pretentious dicks.” Dan winced and hurried to put his phone away. “I’m sorry, I guess I just wanted to be thorough.”

“Hey, no, it’s fine!” Eddie rushed to reassure him. “I was with Annie for years - you gotta know by now that intelligence doesn’t intimidate me.” _I find it hot as fuck_ went left unsaid.

Dan graced him with one of those small, intimate smiles of his, the one that not only affected Eddie but Venom as well. He could feel his symbiote practically _swooning_ inside of him and he just hoped that V wouldn’t chose to make one of his wildly inappropriate and to-the-point statements right now.

“That’s good to know,” Dan said. “I’m glad that I don’t intimidate you.”

“Hey, we feel safe with you, remember?” he said, positive that he was blushing _again_. The doc was gonna think that he had some sort of capillary problem or something if he kept this up. “That wouldn’t be the case if you did.”

Pleased was a good look on Dan, and whereas when Eddie blushed his entire face and neck went beet red, Dan’s cheeks just coloured a little, leaving a rosy little glow to them. There was a short silence between them, not uncomfortable, but it felt weighted, and Eddie just wished that he knew what it meant. How much was he reading into it that was coloured by his own hopes and wishes and how much was real?

“So, uh, I know that you want to go after these guys,” Dan finally said, “but it will take me a little time to be able to get more of the right combination of anti-curare drugs in the quantities that you’ll need. Any chance that you can hold off until then?”

 **“Of course we will wait,”** Venom said, emerging from Eddie’s shoulder (he had learned that people found it disconcerting to hear his voice without seeing his mouth). **“In this, you know best.”**

“Oh wow,” the doc said. “Any chance that I can get that in a recording? I don’t hear it often.”

**“That is hard to believe. You are most competent.”**

_Really, V? ‘Most competent’? You need to work on your flirting,_ Eddie teased internally.

Of course, he would immediately regret that. **“Also, Eddie thinks you have kissable lips.”**

Suddenly choking on the saliva that he was swallowing, Eddie gasped for breath, coughing and pounded at his chest. _What the actual fuck, V?_

 **Is that not flirting?** The smug sound of his symbiote’s voice made Eddie want to throttle him.

Dan for his part just looked amused as he reached over and thumped Eddie on the back. “Not the first time that I’ve heard that, Venom, but thanks for the compliment.” He smirked then at Eddie and damn, was that a hot look on the doc. “Thanks to both of you.”

“Why do I have a mortifying sense of déjà vu?” Eddie rasped.

“I’d offer to kiss you better again, but you’re having enough trouble breathing as it is,” Dan teased.

“Oh my God, just kill me now,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

**“Dan is a good doctor - he would be able to perform mouth to mouth and save you.”**

Dan’s laughter was a balm to his soul, but Eddie was unable to appreciate it right then since he was too busy _actually_ dying of embarrassment. The doc stood up then and hooked a thumb towards the door. “I’ve probably left Annie waiting in the car long enough - I should go.”

Fuck, he'd completely forgotten about Anne. “Um, shit, yeah, probably a good idea.” He got up and walked Dan over to the door, unable to even look at him.

Venom stretched forward and butted his face against Dan’s cheek. **“Thank you, Dan, for everything.”**

He reached up and gently scritched under Venom’s chin. “No worries, bud. Just glad I could help.” From the corner of Eddie’s eye he could see Dan glance at him. “I’ll let you know when I’ve got the anti-curare drugs for you.”

“Thanks, Dan,” Eddie almost whispered.

Dan laughed again, then he was ducking his head forward to kiss Eddie gently on the cheek, and then he was gone, the door shutting softly behind him.

Eddie groaned and hid his face in his hands again. “I am so screwed,” he said out loud.

 **You’ve always been screwed,** Venom told him, **but yes, this time you are** **_more_ ** **screwed.**


	5. Chapter 5

Eddie tried to keep busy over the next week, hoping that his mind would give up on analysing and re-analysing every single little interaction that he’d ever had with Dan. Venom was back to full strength and so they headed out to do some snooping into the police officers that they believed were in Hanna Corp’s pockets, and also keeping a wary eye on the Corp itself. They never got too close there, always watching from a distance, an escape plan firmly in mind, knowing that until Dan came through for them with the antidote, they would be vulnerable. But they could watch and learn and do what they did best - dig out the truth, so they would have everything that they needed when the time came.

They also hunted several times, keeping up their strength on a diet of gang members and rapists. As they crunched down on bone, cerebrospinal fluid dripping down their chin, they concentrated on ridding the streets of such dangers, instead of dwelling on their inappropriate thoughts for Dan. _A brain a day keeps the doctor away_ Eddie thought morosely.

Of course, Dan wasn’t ignoring them the way that they were him - he texted almost every day, keeping them up to date on his progress and asking after their wellbeing. He told them that Annie was heading to Seattle for a conference later in the week, which happened to line up with his rostered days off and so that would be the perfect time for them to make their move.

Eddie had stared at that text for the longest of times, realisation having dawned on him. “V? Does that kind of sound like _he wants to come along?_ ”

**It does appear that way.**

Which, no, just _no_ . They would _not_ be putting Dan in harm’s way. Not wanting to deliver that ultimatum before they actually got the antidote off the doctor, they texted back a neutral response about how those days worked for them, and then let it be.

The nights were the worst because Eddie’s brain never stopped and Venom didn’t seem at all inclined to _allow_ Eddie to stop thinking of Dan. He would throw up image after image of the doctor - his lips, his eyes, that delectable little freckle, all the while as he wrapped a thick tendril around Eddie’s cock and stroked him to completion. Venom was sure to avoid anything other than jerking Eddie off, but they still basked in the wash of oxytocin and dopamine all the same, laying sticky and sated together.

“Why are you so obsessed with Dan?” Eddie asked his Other one night. “Is it just because of my attraction to him?”

**Because he is Dan and we like Dan.**

“Okay, that really wasn’t helpful.”

**We want Dan, just like Eddie wants Dan. He is Dan - what more do you want?**

Eddie supposed that to Venom it really was that simple. He didn’t tend to think of people as different sets of characteristics, just them as a whole, which made sense in a way. If he'd asked Eddie why _he_ liked Dan, he’d probably have replied with ‘he’s funny and kind and sexy and smart’ but really, put all of those things together and he was just _Dan_.

**Do you think Annie would share?**

Eddie groaned. “I don’t know, V. I wouldn’t even know how to raise that topic with her, especially since we don’t even know how Dan feels about us.”

**Dan likes us, this is obvious. He kissed us.**

“ _On the cheek_ , love. That’s not an overtly sexual act.”

**Told you - he likes your ass.**

Sighing, he wondered how exactly he could go about explaining the intricate nuances of human sexual attraction to his symbiote. “I’m not denying that he likes us, V, or even that he is attracted to us - but those two things don’t mean that he’d want to get involved with us.”

**Why not?**

“Because they’re not the be all and end all of everything. First of all, he’s with Annie. Even if she was happy to share, he might be entirely monogamous. Just being attracted to someone doesn't necessarily mean that he’d want to have a polyamorous relationship. Then there’s the fact that he’s our friend and also our doctor. He might not want to cross those boundaries.”

 **But he flirts with us!** Venom was beginning to sound distressed.

“Lots of people flirt, love, it’s what humans do, but that doesn’t mean that they want to take it any further. Sometimes it just feels good to flirt, to know that someone else finds you attractive and compelling, but that’s all it is.”

**But why would he do that if he didn't want us?**

A flare of rejection flashed through their bond and Eddie cradled Venom’s small form to his chest. “Hey, love, come on - you’re counting your chickens before they hatch. We don’t _know_ anything, okay, not for sure. I’m just trying to not let either of us get too attached in case it doesn’t go anywhere.”

 **But we’re already attached to him**! the symbiote all but wailed.

He sighed. “Yeah, I know, but let’s not fall even further head over heels if we can help it, okay? Besides, we’ll always have each other, so it’s not like it’ll be that big of a deal if we don’t have Dan too.”

**Always, Eddie. We are Venom.**

“Always, love.”

“Eddie, I need your help.”

Anne sounded frazzled, and Eddie wondered what on earth she could need from him. “Okay, what’s up?”

“I suddenly have no water pressure whatsoever and I’m supposed to be leaving in four hours for this conference. Can you come and take a look? Dan’s still at work and even an emergency plumber will take a couple of hours to get here and I _really_ want a shower before I leave.”

“Oh, um, sure thing, I’ll come on over.”

“Thank you _so_ much, Eddie - you’re my hero.”

They took the bike, getting to Annie’s townhouse within fifteen minutes. Looking up at the place didn't send waves of regret through him anymore and he discovered that he had well and truly gotten over what he’d had with the lawyer. Eddie knocked at the door and Anne answered it, a frown on her face and her hair slightly mussed from its usual perfection from where she’d been running her hands through it in frustration. “Thank God you’re here,” she said, gesturing him inside. “I just don’t understand what’s going on - the mains are turned on but there’s just _nothing_ when I turn on a tap.”

“Alright, well, I’ll see what I can do.”

Annie left him to it as she finished packing her suitcase and he re-checked everything that she had, just to be sure. The tap in the upstairs bathroom didn't emit any water whatsoever, but the tap in the kitchen sent through a slight trickle, so Eddie figured that there must be a pressure problem somewhere. Deciding to check out the tap in the laundry downstairs in the basement, he opened the door and flicked on the light, before gasping at the sight.

The entire basement was flooded, water lapping halfway up the stairs, and he could make out movement in the water across the room where the pipe had obviously burst and was pumping water in. “Shit,” he muttered and then turned and made a dash outside, turning off the mains to stop any further flooding.

“Eddie!” they heard someone calling from down the street and they looked over to see Dan walking up towards them. “Hey, bud, good to see you,” the doc said, a beaming smile on his face despite the exhaustion that was etched into his skin.

“Hey, Dan. Just got off night shift?” Eddie internally winced at how inane that sounded.

Dan didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah, and it was a _long_ night - three emergency surgeries. I’ve got four days off now and I’m planning on sleeping for most of today. So what are you guys doing here?” It was simple curiosity, not laced with suspicion or anger, which is what most people would feel if they came home from work to find their partner’s ex there.

“Annie said she was having trouble with the water, asked me to come have a look.”

“That’s nice of you! Any idea what’s wrong?”

“Ah, yeah, yeah we found the problem.”

Dan whistled as they stood at the top of the stairs, looking into the flooded basement. “Yep, that _does_ seem to be the problem,” he agreed.

“I’ll try and fix the hole in the pipe so Annie can at least have a shower before she goes, but you’ll have to get someone in to pump the water out.”

“Sure, if you say so. To be fair, I actually don’t know much about stuff like this,” the doc admitted.

“It shouldn’t be too hard to fix,” Eddie said, pulling his t shirt off over his head, a heady feeling washing over him as he noticed Dan noticing his bare chest. “Mind holding this so it doesn’t get wet?” He held out the shirt.

“Yeah, sure,” Dan replied, his eyes slowly dragging over the swirl of tattoos covering Eddie’s skin. He seemed to suddenly realise that he was ogling him and his eyes darted away. “I’ll ah, I’ll just go upstairs and let Annie know that you found the problem.”

“Sure thing.” Eddie tried not to smirk at the fact that Dan was flustered over the fact that he was going to get wet soon and then he arched forwards as he dove down into the water.

“Wait, Eddie, no!” Dan cried from above, but it was lost as Venom suddenly exploded around Eddie, encasing him inside of him.

Electricity buzzed over Venom’s skin as they moved through the water, and Eddie could see ahead of them through the murky water that the washer and dryer were still plugged in. He cursed himself silently for not even considering that and knew that if it wasn’t for Venom, he’d be dead right now. Instead, he was safely inside of the hulking alien who was making his way back to the stairs and walking them up and out to safety.

“Eddie? Eddie, are you okay? Venom, is he okay?” Dan was asking urgently.

 **“He is fine, besides being, as they would say, ‘dumb as fuck’”** Venom assured him. **“Electricity does not hurt me and so he was protected.”** Once they were safely out of the water, he melted away, leaving Eddie shirtless and exposed.

“Fuck,” Dan swore, and Eddie thought it might have been the first time that he’d ever heard the doc curse. “You scared the shit out of me, Eddie!”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I uh, guess I forgot that the appliances would still be plugged in.”

Dan grabbed hold of his upper arm and yanked him through to the kitchen, where he made him sit as he grabbed his medical bag.

“What the hell happened?” Annie asked from the doorway, taking in the sight.

“What happened,” Dan snapped, and he sounded angry, “was that this idiot didn't turn off the electricity before he jumped into a giant pool of water!” He pulled his stethoscope out of his bag and placed it against Eddie’s chest, who flinched away from the cold metal.

“What? Giant pool of water?”

 **“There was a burst pipe in the basement which flooded it,”** Venom explained. **“Dan, there is nothing to worry about - we explained that Eddie was safe within us.”**

“Even small electrical shocks can have unexpected effects on the heart’s rhythm, Venom. I need to be sure.” Dan’s voice hitched at the end and Eddie realised that his anger was masking the fact that he was scared.

“Holy crap, Eddie - you could have been killed!” Anne cried.

“I’m fine, Annie, I swear. V kept me safe.” He reached up and briefly covered Dan’s hand, meeting his warm, brown eyes. “I’m _fine_ ,” he said again.

“If Venom wasn’t there…” Dan whispered.

“I know, trust me, I know how lucky I am, but I’m okay. I promise.”

Dan finally nodded and he pulled the stethoscope away and then sank down into the next chair. “I have been awake _far_ too long for this.”

“Sorry to freak you out.”

Anne did what she did best and immediately took charge of the situation, making calls and organising workmen. While she talked on the phone, Eddie made Dan a cup of tea and slid it across to him in apology. “Sorry I scared you,” he murmured.

Dan accepted the mug, their fingers brushing briefly and he managed one of his small, warm smiles for him. “I’m just grateful that Venom had your back.”

At this, Venom emerged, his large opalescent eyes watching the doctor intently. **“We will always keep Eddie safe.”**

“Thanks, bud.” Dan reached over and smoothed a hand down over the symbiote’s head, and Venom chittered happily.

“Right,” Anne announced, placing the phone back in its cradle, “it’s going to take a few days to get this mess sorted. Someone will be over later today to begin pumping out the water but that will take a while. Then the plumber will fix the pipes, and I’ve also organised for an electrician who will need to rewire the basement. Dan, the electricity is going to be shut off as well as the water so you’ll probably want to get a hotel or something while they make the repairs. I’ve organised with Janie next door to take Mr Belvedere.” Anne worked _fast_ when the need arose.

Dan looked longingly towards the staircase leading to the upper floors, and it was clear that all he wanted to do was to fall into bed, not arrange accommodation. “Okay.”

“Eddie, I’m going to borrow your shower before my flight,” Anne continued. “I am a mess.”

 **“Dan could stay with us,”** Venom offered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dan looked over at them and Eddie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no need to pay for somewhere to stay when you got friends.”

“Are you sure? I know you need your space right now.”

Warmth bloomed once more in his chest as Dan proved again what a good guy he was and Eddie nodded again. “After all you’ve done for us, giving you a place to crash is the least we can do.”

“Great, then that’s sorted,” Anne said, waving her arms towards the door. “What are we waiting for? I’ve got a plane to catch, people.”

Anne’s uber had come and gone, Dan was passed out on the couch, unable to stay awake a minute longer, and Eddie was trying not to be creepy and doing all he could to not stare. Venom had no such compunctions and had coalesced a small head out of a shoulder blade so that he could watch the sleeping doctor as his host did the dishes. **His forehead is all smooth when he sleeps.**

_V, that’s not cool! Stop staring!_

**Why? We like looking at Dan.**

_He’s asleep and it’s creepy._

**His neck is at a weird angle and he’s drooling.**

Unable to help it, Eddie turned to see and was amazed at how endearing he found the scene. Dan was curled up on his side, his head on the armrest, and there was indeed a slight smear of drool down his chin. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as a turmoil of emotions flooded him at the sight of the man, and Eddie chewed on his lip as he considered what to do. Dan’s neck was _really_ going to hurt once he woke up - the last time Eddie had fallen asleep like that, he’d had a kink in his neck for a week. Not wanting to wish that on anyone, especially not someone who he had such...soft feelings for, he went over to the couch and tried to shake him awake. “Dan?” he whispered, not wanting to startle him. “Hey, Dan, come on, come sleep on the bed, it’ll be more comfy.”

Dan was out like a light however and didn't even stir. One of Venom’s tendrils reached down and caressed his face, trying to wake him but that didn't work either.

**Carry him.**

_What?_

**It’s not that hard a concept to grasp, Eddie. Carry him to bed.**

_V, I can’t do that!_

**If you won’t, we will.**

He huffed, but if it was going to happen anyway, he didn't want to pass on the opportunity so he bent down and tried to as gently as possible scoop Dan into his arms. The doctor wasn’t overly heavy - though having an alien symbiote inside of him probably had something to do with the ease with which Eddie lifted him - and he straightened, cradling Dan close. The doc made an adorable snuffling noise and turned his face to nuzzle against Eddie’s neck and both Eddie and Venom froze, unable to do anything but stare down at him.  
**Eddie.**

_Yeah, V?_

**We need to always keep Dan safe.**

Oh fuck, if that wasn’t his Other’s way of declaring that he loved Dan, then Eddie didn't know what was. He really didn’t want to examine his own feelings too closely right now, still worried that the trauma he had suffered was colouring them, and so he just put one foot in front of the other and carried Dan through to the bedroom.

With Venom’s help, they pulled the blankets back and gently laid him down, making sure the covers were pulled snugly around his chin. Unable to resist, Eddie leaned down and brushed his lips softly across Dan’s temple. “Sleep sweet,” he murmured.

Then he left the room and spent the rest of the day digging himself a deep hole of denial.


	6. Chapter 6

“Having a party, Eddie?” Mrs Chen asked as she eyed the several bottles of liquor he'd just purchased.

“Ah, yeah, something like that,” he told her.

“Eddie.” Her tone was disapproving.

“I’m not drinking alone!”

“Really?”

“Really, I swear. I have a, uh, a friend staying with me.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s true. I figured that it would be nice to have a drink together.” He’d hit rock not far into digging his denial hole and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t bury himself deep enough. Having given up on that avenue, he figured that the next best course of action would be to get rip roaring drunk and just see where it led. Venom wasn’t usually happy with his host getting inebriated but, as he'd put it **‘If it stops you from being such a pussy and helps you make a move, then we’re all for it’.**

“Okay, well, I hope you and your _friend_ have a good time.”

“Thanks, Mrs C. Have a good evening.”

He headed back to the apartment, stopping to pick up some Thai takeaway for dinner on the way, trying to ignore the fluttering of nerves in his stomach. He wasn’t even sure if Dan would be on board with drinking tonight, and even if he was, the whole thing could end in an unmitigated disaster, but he was at a tipping point and Eddie just needed to do _something_. Even if it was a bad plan, at least he was taking action.

Venom graciously held their dinner and drinks as Eddie unlocked the door and they entered to find Dan awake, coffee cup in hand, browsing the single bookshelf. He had a bad case of bed head and he must have only just woken up because there were still creases from the pillow indented on his cheek, and he was probably the most beautiful man that Eddie had ever seen.

 **Almost as beautiful as you,** Venom agreed silently.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he greeted him cheerfully, depositing his haul on the kitchen table.

“Hey,” Dan said with a smile, moving away from the shelf. “Thanks for, you know, uh, letting me have the bed. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“None at all. I know how crap the couch is to sleep on.” He winced internally, hoping that Dan wouldn’t question why they’d offered it to him for the next several days while his own place was worked on if that was the case.

“Do I smell spring rolls?” the doc asked, eying the bags.

**“We got them specially for you.”**

“That’s very sweet of you, Venom. I’ll be sure to share with you.”

**“We were hoping that you would say that.”**

Dan laughed and his eyes fell on the bottles of booze. He didn't say anything, just raised one of those perfect eyebrows in question.

“Oh, I felt like having a couple of drinks tonight,” Eddie explained. “I haven’t since, well, you know. Just wanted to have one relaxing night before we hit these guys up.”

“You definitely deserve it,” Dan agreed. “Does your metabolism with Venom affect how much you need to get buzzed? Or is some of that for me?” He gave them a cheeky smile.

**“We also got some of this for you.”**

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “Figured buying you a drink or three was the least we could do to repay you for everything that you’ve done for us.”

Dan drained the rest of his coffee and set his empty mug down on the table. “Right, well, what are we waiting for?”

oOoOo

“And then I said, ‘Who do you think you are? Stephen Strange?’ and he turns around and says, ‘Yes’ and I almost _died_!” Dan threw back the last of the whiskey in the glass and leaned over to pour more, holding the bottle out to Eddie in a silent question.

Eddie accepted and then leaned back on the couch, enjoying the way Dan was slumped against him. “What happened then?” he asked, sucking an ice cube into his mouth.

“After I got over my embarrassment, I spent the night trying not to fanboy over him too badly. I mean, he’s who we _all_ wanted to be. It’s a damn shame he’s given up surgery.” Dan tilted his head to one side and he looked up at Eddie, his eyes lingering on the ice cube against his lips. “Anyway, we ended up getting totally trashed together and I blew him in the parking lot at the end of the night.”

The ice cube slipped down Eddie’s throat as he choked and Venom immediately formed around it, absorbing it into him before it reached his lungs. “ _You what?_ ”

“I blew him,” Dan repeated happily. “He’s an arrogant son of a bitch but damn, he’s hot. Nice cock too.”

Eddie knew that he was staring in shock but he couldn’t help it, couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy either. _He_ wanted Dan to blow him, but instead the bloody Sorcerer Supreme To Be got that honour. It wasn’t fair. “I bet he left happy,” he said simply for something to say.

“Damn straight he did.” Dan held a finger up to his lips and noisily blew against it. “Shhhh, don’t tell anyone,” he whispered loudly, “but I am _awesome_ at sucking cock.” Then he dissolved into giggles, pressing even closer against Eddie.

The booze was loosening Eddie’s lips and without thinking, he said, “With a mouth like that, I believe you.”

“Pfft, my mouth isn’t that special, not compared to yours.” Dan gestured helplessly and then tried to emulate the voice of an advertising announcer. “ _Eddie Brock has the plumpest lower lip ever. Plastic surgeons_ **_hate_ ** _him.”_ He giggled again, an adorable hiccuping giggle and Eddie knew without a doubt that he was entirely smitten. “Anne told me once what it was like to have your mouth on her,” Dan admitted. “Man, I was so jealous but I didn't know if I was jealous of you or of her.”

“Dan, Dan, _DanDanDan._ ” Eddie couldn't seem to stop saying his name, but he _needed_ him to know. “Dan, I honestly, completely, one hundred percent have absolutely _no_ more romantic feelings for Annie anymore.” He thumped a hand down on Dan’s thigh and gave it a squeeze. “You ain’t got nothing to worry about, man, I’m not gonna try and get her back, ‘kay?”

“Really? You’re not interested in Annie?”

“Nuh uh, not anymore.”

There was an intense look in Dan’s brown eyes. “Then who _are_ you interested in? Besides Venom, of course.” He held out a hand and made a little ‘come hither’ gesture and the symbiote happily complied, winding around Dan’s wrist and nuzzling against him lazily. Alcohol only affected him if he chose to not process it immediately and tonight was one of the nights that he had allowed it to mellow him. “God, look at you,” the doctor said in an awed voice. “You are something else, Venom.”

While his Other trilled happily at Dan and continued to nuzzle against him, Eddie’s Dutch courage was encouraging him to speak the truth. “There’s someone I think I’m falling for but I don’t think I can have them.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“They’re not exactly available,” he explained sadly.

“But they like you?”

“I think so.”

“You don’t know so?” Dan’s eyes flickered up from watching Venom to meet Eddie’s.

“I can only guess.”

“My guess is that they really, _really_ like you.”

His heart skipped a beat. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I really do,” Dan murmured, his eyes falling to watch Eddie’s mouth. “Maybe they like you _so_ much that they told their girlfriend and asked if it would be okay if they kissed you.”

“Wh...what do you, uh, think that their girlfriend would have said?” His voice was ragged, his cock was hard in his jeans, and dammit, Eddie wanted Dan so damn much.

“I think,” Dan said, as he clumsily swung himself up and over so that he was straddling Eddie’s lap, “that she would have initially been surprised but been more than okay with it in the end.”

“Yeah?” he asked, breathlessly.

Dan leaned forward and gently rubbed their noses together. “Yeah,” he whispered. His thick eyelashes fluttered and they were so close that Eddie felt them brush against his own cheeks. “Eddie?” he murmured.

“Yes, Dan?”

“Kiss me?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Their lips met and the kiss was chaste, but sweet and everything that Eddie had ever wanted. He pulled back and reached up, touching Dan’s face gently, needing to make sure that he wasn't imagining this, that it was real and not a dream.

“It’s not a dream,” Dan promised.

It took Eddie a moment to realise that he must have been speaking out loud. “How can I be so sure?” he asked.

In answer, Dan kissed him again, deeper this time, his tongue flicking along Eddie’s lower lip and he allowed it inside to dance with his own tongue, the experience so very different to what he was used to from kissing Venom.

The thought of his symbiote was enough for him to pull back once more and he turned his thoughts inward. _V?_

 **Eddddddddddie** **_._ **Venom’s voice was slurred with happiness.

_You okay with this, love?_

**He’s kissing us, Eddie! Sooooo happy!**

Satisfied that everyone in the room was on board, Eddie reached up and cupped Dan’s face, taking a moment to simply drink in the sight before him, and then he wasted no more time and kissed him once more.

oOoOo

Eddie woke the next morning, warm and happy, with Dan nestled in his arms. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face as memories of last night came back to him. They’d not done anything more than kiss, but it had been the steamiest make out session that he could ever remember having. They had both seemed to accept that they were too drunk to take it to the next level and to kiss and cuddle without expectation of anything else had felt almost more intimate than if they’d slept together.

At times they had simply kissed deep and slow, hands roving over clothes, caressing here, tickling there. Other times it had been more frantic, tongues pushing and delving, a burning desire to taste every single inch, to get as close as possible. Then there were the times that they hadn’t even been kissing, simply curled up in one another, enjoying being close, watching as Venom slithered between them, exploring Dan for himself.

Dan’s attitude towards Venom was refreshing. Sometimes when Anne or Mrs Chen spoke to them, it felt like they thought that the symbiote was Eddie’s child; someone under his care who didn’t have the ability to make decisions of their own. Dan treated Venom like he was his own person, with his own wants and desires, his own preferences. He acted like there were three people in the room, asking questions, checking in, learning more about both of them, not just Eddie. It had sent wave after wave of giddy happiness through his Other and via the bond, through himself, and Eddie had to wonder how he’d gotten so damn lucky. Dan liked _both_ of them, they were ‘his two best guys’ and they were both over the moon.

They’d fallen into bed sometime after midnight, but not before Dan had made them both drink several glasses of water to stave off a hangover in the morning. “Don’t want this pretty head being subjected to a headache,” he’d said, caressing Eddie’s face. He didn't bother mentioning the fact that Venom took care of hangovers for him, not wanting to dull the sentiment there. Dan _cared_ and it felt wonderful to be the focus of his kindness.

 **Hungry, Eddie,** Venom whispered in his mind, but it wasn’t the usual demand for instant gratification, just a lazy reminder that he would need to eat soon.

Eddie looked down at the doctor in his arms and wondered if he’d be able to wriggle out from under him without waking him up. Despite having slept for most of the day yesterday, Dan had clearly needed another night’s sleep and he was still dead to the world.

 **Don’t wake him,** Venom said. **We can make breakfast for all of us.**

There was so much hope behind those words that Eddie couldn’t bring himself to insist that he could get up and do it himself. _Alright, but let me know if you need a hand._

 **Will do, Eddie. Stay and keep Dan warm.** His small form then slithered off the bed and stretched out and away and if Eddie concentrated on their bond, he could _feel himself_ moving through the apartment. Then they were attached only by a thin tendril and he heard the quiet sound of cupboards opening and closing and pots and pans being moved about.

Content to let his Other take care of them, Eddie relaxed back and absently began to trace a finger up and down Dan’s lean back. He wondered if this would be a one time thing or of it would develop into something more, and hoped fervently that it would be the latter. He tried to recall Dan’s exact words from the night before and was pretty sure that he’d said that he’d asked Annie if he could _kiss_ Eddie - he hadn’t mentioned going any further. Had they spoken of that? Or were they holding off on that conversation until the kiss had taken place? Would Annie want to know the specifics of whatever happened between them? If she did, would Eddie be comfortable having her hear about the intimate moments that he shared with Dan? One thing was for certain - he had some uncomfortable, awkward, but necessary conversations in his future.

Dan began to stir and so Eddie pushed those thoughts aside for now and instead watched as the doctor slowly began to wake. It was a gradual thing - first his nose twitched, and then he reached up to scratch at his ear, then he moved his head, rubbing his cheek against Eddie’s chest, before his eyes finally fluttered open. “Hey there,” Eddie said quietly, reaching out to gently brush a lock of hair away from those warm, brown eyes.

“Hey,” Dan said sleepily, reaching out his arms to stretch luxuriously. Instead of letting them both drop to his sides, he let one fall around the back of Eddie’s head and his nimble fingers began to play with the hair on the nape of his neck. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did. You?”

“Like a log.” He glanced about, noticing the thin string of black goo that stretched out the door. “What’s Venom doing?”

“Cooking us all breakfast.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I think he wants to make a good impression for you.”

Dan smiled at that. “Silly goose - I already have a good impression of him.”

“Yeah well, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth - we’ll get breakfast out of it.”

“Well it’s very sweet of him.” He lifted his other hand and cupped Eddie’s face, gently running his thumb across his cheekbone. “You’re _both_ very sweet. I’m glad that it’s not awkward between us now.” He paused, looking uncertain. “It’s not, is it? Awkward I mean?”

Eddie chuckled and dipped his head down to brush a closed mouthed kiss to Dan’s lips, knowing that his morning breath could wake the dead even on the best of days. “Not awkward at all,” he promised.

The doc sighed happily and he trailed his fingers across Eddie’s temple. “How’s the head?”

“Good, no hangover. You?”

“I seem to be none the worse for wear.”

“It seems to be a smashing start to the morning then.”

The door swung open and Venom undulated across the floor, a tray with a large plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and toast, and also two mugs of coffee on it. “Looks like it just got even better,” Dan said and as soon as Venom had deposited the tray on the bed, he swooped in to press a kiss to the symbiote’s cheek. “Morning, Venom.”

 **“Hello, Dan,”** Venom replied shyly. **“I made you breakfast.”** He sounded so very proud of himself and Eddie found that he was proud of his Other too - the toast was hardly burned at all and the bacon was nice and crispy.

“You are so sweet.” Dan picked up one of the mugs of coffee and took a sip, then smiled in bliss, “Absolutely perfect.”

Venom trilled happily and he passed over a knife and fork to both of the humans. **“Could only fit one plate on the tray,”** he apologised.

“I’m sure none of us mind sharing,” Eddie assured him and he scooped up some egg and bacon and held it out to his symbiote for the first bite. Wanting to return the favour, Venom picked up some egg with a thin tentacle and held it up to Eddie’s lips. He grinned and opened wide, making sure to suck the smooth tip of Venom into his mouth at the same time as he removed the food. “Mmm, it’s delicious, V.”

Venom leaned in, bringing his mouth full of sharp, pointed teeth close and then his tongue darted out, licking at the corner of his mouth. **“You had some yolk just** **_there_ ** **.”**

Dan laughed and Eddie turned to see him watching them. “You two are so cute together.”

Instead of insisting that he wasn’t cute ( **_‘Not cute, Eddie! Menacing!’_ ** ), Venom just licked Dan from chin to temple affectionately. **“You are cute, too.”**

Dan blushed at that but seemed pleased and they polished off the rest of the meal, making casual small talk between them.

Dan insisted on doing the dishes so Eddie excused himself for a quick shower and to brush his teeth, and he found the view of the doc looking so domestic in his kitchen a thrilling sight when he returned. He came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around Dan’s waist, then pressed soft kisses down the column of his throat. “Shower’s free,” he murmured.

“Mmm, sounds good.” He twisted in Eddie’s arms and pulled him in for a deep kiss, tasting of bacon and coffee, sucking Eddie’s lower lip into his mouth before letting it go with a small _pop_. “To tide me over,” he said with a wink, then pulled free and disappeared into the bathroom.

Eddie began to make another cup of coffee, and he felt Venom fluttering inside of him. “You good there, love?” he asked.

**Happy, Eddie.**

“I’m so happy to hear that, babe.”

 **Eddie is happy too.** It was a statement, not a question. **Have stupid smile on your face.**

“Yeah well, you happen to _love_ this stupid face,” was the best come back he could think of.

**Love you, Eddie. You and your stupid face.**

He laughed and sent a wave of love and affection inwards. “Back at ya, V.” Eddie opened the fridge door to get the milk and stopped as his eyes fell on several capped syringes. He picked them up, wondering what they were.

**Dan put them in there yesterday when he arrived. Made sure Annie didn’t see.**

“Oh. It must be the antidote.”

**Does that mean we can go and eat the bad men now?**

“Yeah, love, it does. Some of them, anyway. Gotta leave some for the cops.”

**But the cops are bad.**

“Not all of them, V. Only some in this case. We’ll make sure that Internal Affairs know about the bad ones.”

 **But I will eat the rest.** He sent a mental image to Eddie of four men, each wearing a different animal mask.

Eddie took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. “Yeah, yeah you can eat them.”

**Wasn’t asking for permission. Will eat them for what they did to you. Will never let them hurt Eddie again.**

Tears pricked at his eyes and he held out his arms, urging his symbiote to gather there so he could hold him close. “You’re the best, V,” he whispered.

**Will keep you safe, will never let them hurt anyone again, but especially not you.**

“Eddie? Are you okay?”

He spun around to see Dan there, hair damp and looking more awake. “Hey, Dan. Yeah, yeah I’m okay.”

The doctor frowned. “Yeah, I don’t believe you.” He opened his arms. “Come here.”

Stepping into the embrace was wonderful and Eddie knew that he was sobbing now, not from sadness but in relief that he didn't just have Venom who cared for him, but now Dan as well. They both made him feel so safe, like they would keep the monsters at bay and he felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Dan moved them to the couch, pulling Eddie down against him and they stayed like that for the longest of times. He rubbed at Eddie’s back and pressed kisses into his hair, and when he asked in a quiet voice, “We’re going tonight?” that had an edge of anger to it, promising retribution against the men who had hurt Eddie, he couldn’t deny him, couldn’t refuse.

“Yeah, we all go tonight,” he agreed.

oOoOo

Eddie had a plan. It was a pretty simple plan, but there were merits to its straightforwardness. Infiltrate Hanna Corp’s main office, steal the paperwork that he was almost certain existed (as it was hinted at from his in depth online investigations), eat certain bad guys if they were in the building, and then anonymously leave the paperwork for Internal Affairs, whilst also sending copies to all the major news outlets on the off chance that Hanna Corp had their fingers buried deep in IA as well. Sure, there were numerous things that could go wrong, and having Dan along was probably going to be more of a hindrance than a help, but neither he nor Venom had the heart to leave him behind after everything that had happened between them. They were confident that they could keep him safe, and you never knew, maybe for once things would just naturally go their way. That wasn’t too much to ask was it? Once in a blue moon surely fate _had_ to be on their side. Statistically it was bound to happen eventually. Wasn’t it?

And so they found themselves sneaking into the top floor of Hanna Corp’s downtown office, by way of an inky black symbiote that blended in with the night - who also happened to be cradling a doctor to his chest. Eddie _still_ wasn’t great with heights, even with V’s assurances that he wouldn’t ever drop him, and so he wouldn’t have blamed Dan for being a sobbing mess by the time they crashed in through one of the windows. The doc surprised Eddie however when Venom melted back from him, leaving a madly grinning Dan in his very human arms. “Man, can we do that _again?_ ” he asked.

“I _knew_ that you’d finally do something to prove that you’re not _absolutely_ perfect,” Eddie quipped, gently settling Dan down onto his own two feet.

**“Eddie is just a pussy.”**

“Or I just have a healthy appreciation for low, flat surfaces.”

“Venom, that was _amazing_ ,” Dan gushed, the grin still on his face. “Anytime you want someone to keep you company when you feel like going for a climb, I’m your man.”

**“We have already claimed you as our own, therefore you are already our man but it’s good to know that you would come willingly.”**

“For you, anytime.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Any chance you adrenaline junkies could maybe focus here?” he whispered. “We _are_ in the middle of a B&E.”

“Oh, right, sure thing,” Dan apologised. “So uh, what do you need me to do? Not sure if it’s obvious or not but this is kind of my first time breaking the law.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh. “I would never have guessed. Look, I’m gonna be rooting through those filing cabinets - how ‘bout you keep an eye on the door and give us a heads up if anyone comes.”

Dan nodded and went to the door, but after watching Eddie pick the lock on the old fashioned filing cabinet, asked, “Won’t whatever records you’re after be electronic? Most major companies are going paperless nowadays.”

Eddie nodded. “Sure, they probably have electronic copies as well but these guys are old school - the company has been in the family for generations and so long as Dad is the boss, they’ll keep doing it the old fashioned way because that’s the way they’ve _always_ done it.”

“I guess that makes it easier for us.”

Grinning, Eddie pulled out a file and flipped through it. “It sure does. Bingo.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s the missing link - a copy of bank transfers to an account in the Caymans that matches an offshore account that I tracked down that’s linked to several high ranking police officers.”

“Will that be enough?”

“With everything that I uncovered before, it’ll be more than enough to start a proper internal investigation which should take them all down.”

 **“Now it’s time to feast,”** Venom announced. **“Dan - it’s time.”**

The doc nodded and he pulled a slim case from his jacket, revealing the syringes that he’d prepared. “Are you sure that you’ll be able to hold back some of this, Venom?”

**“Yes - we will only allow the first dose to metabolise and will keep the rest in stasis until we require it.”**

Dan had explained that pre-dosing each of them would likely stave off the effects if they were drugged with the paralytic, but they weren’t entirely certain if Hanna Corp were aware of Venom or not. If they were, the dose that they would have for Eddie would be much larger and so the antidote would also need to be of a higher dosage. Unfortunately, since it was a combination of several anti-curare drugs, Dan wasn’t sure how safe it would be for Eddie to have multiple shots of it beforehand. He had hoped that this would cover all of the bases.

“Okay, here we go,” Dan said, prepping Eddie’s arm and injecting him with four of the doses. He wiped the site clean afterwards and stuck a band-aid over the puncture wounds, then dipped his head to kiss it better. His lips were quirking as he pulled out the last syringe and injected it into himself. He followed through with the same follow up but this time it was Eddie who took his arm and brushed his own kiss over the band-aid.

“There, all better,” Eddie whispered.

They smiled at each other, enjoying their little private joke and then shared a proper kiss. Venom nuzzled against both their faces and they turned to kiss him too. “You ready?” Dan asked, the question weighted. He knew full well how hard it would be for Eddie to face his attackers but the fact that he was there, willing to stand with him, made it so much easier.

“As I’ll ever be,” Eddie replied with a curt nod. “Let’s go.”

They headed for the hallway outside and on quiet feet made their way to the stairwell. They’d seen movement on the lower floors on their way up and Eddie just hoped that some of their targets would be there. If not, then they would hunt them another night, but he wanted more than anything to have this over and done with tonight. Given that the men who had held him and had tortured him weren’t the standard run-of-the-mill security, they’d figured that they wouldn’t work regular day shifts. After hours was better suited to nefarious dealings and so maybe they’d get lucky?

They were almost at the bottom when Eddie felt a tug from within and he silently gave control over to Venom, who instantly encased him, sending his enhanced senses outwards. **“He’s here, on this floor.”**

“Who is?” Dan whispered.

 **“The pig,”** Venom growled and it was so menacing that Dan took a step back. **“I can smell him.”**

Images of the man in the pig mask flashed before Eddie’s eyes and for a moment he was rendered frozen in fear. The sound of the man’s grunts, the slap of skin on skin, the way he’d laughed as he’d held Eddie wide open and had watched his release trickle from his body before beckoning the next one forward...it was too much and Eddie felt himself retreating inwards, seeking safety.

**Eddie, you are safe, we are here, will keep you safe. Don’t have to face him, Eddie - we can take care of it.**

_Please_ , Eddie whimpered, giving Venom the go ahead that he needed.

For all of his hulking mass, Venom could move silently when he wanted to and so they slipped through the door of the stairwell onto the current floor of offices and followed the smell of the Pig down a hallway. He was sitting inside a small room, feet propped upon a table, watching some old TV show as he stuffed handfuls of popcorn into his mouth. He looked so normal and nondescript without the mask, but when he laughed, Eddie recognised him immediately. It was all Venom needed to pounce.

The Pig screamed when he saw Venom but a claw pressed against his throat silenced him. **“Well, well, well, what have we here?”**

The man whimpered but stayed silent.

Venom made a point of sniffing him all over, and then his huge tongue darted out to taste him. **“Mmm, tastes like bacon, don’t you, little piggy?”**

The Pig whimpered and his eyes squeezed shut. “Please,” he begged, “please don’t hurt me. I got kids man, I got a wife at home.”

 **“You think that your pathetic pleas will stop me?”** Venom sneered. **“Oh, little piggy, there’s nothing that can stop me.”**

The door opened and closed behind them and the Pig’s eyes darted to Dan. “Help me!” he cried. “Please, help me!”

Dan ignored him and nodded to Venom. “I checked the rest of the floor, we’re alone.”

 **“Excellent. Looks like it’s time to go to market.”** He grabbed the man by an ankle and hoisted him upside down, shaking his foot until his shoe came off. His huge claw sliced down through his sock and he peeled it off as if it were a banana, all the while ignoring the pleas and cries of the man. **“This little piggy went to market,”** Venom said in a singsong voice, then sliced through the smallest toe and tossed it into the air, catching it in his maw as the man screamed in pain. **“This little piggy stayed home.”** Another quick slice, another swallow. “ **This little piggy had roast beef, and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy went wee wee wee, all the way home.”** Venom made quick work of the remaining toes, pausing to chew the biggest one before that too disappeared down his throat.

“Oh God, no, please stop, please stop, I’ll do anything, please.”

 **“Funny, those words didn't make** **_you_ ** **stop when my love was using them.”**

“Yo...yo...your love?”

Half of Venom’s face peeled away to reveal Eddie and they grinned maniacally at him, blood still dripping from their combined mouths. He then closed back over Eddie and said, **“Snack time is over - time for the main course,”** and he lifted the dangling man high in the air and with one snap, his head was separated from his body and was being chewed into small pieces by hundreds of sharp teeth.

The headless body fell to the floor, twitching slightly and Venom swallowed before he melted back underneath Eddie’s skin. Eddie looked down at the remains of the Pig and poked him with his shoe. “Not so tough now, huh, when your prey fights back.” He turned to find Dan watching him closely and if he was expecting fear or revulsion on the doctor’s face, then he was pleasantly surprised. “You good?” he asked.

Dan nodded. “What about you? Doing okay?”

“One down, three to go. If we manage to get them all tonight, I’ll be better than great.”

“Well then? What are we waiting for?”

They headed back to the stairs and went down another four levels to where they’d seen most of the movement on their way up. Eddie ‘suited up’ in his alien boyfriend once more and Venom sniffed out their prey. **“Fortune shines upon us tonight,”** he said.

 _Have you been reading fucking Shakespeare?_ Eddie demanded.

Not bothering with a reply, Venom just continued to explain, **“The three are here. The Wolf, the Duck, and the Lamb.”**

“All for slaughter,” Dan whispered.

Venom turned and pushed Dan up against a wall. **“When we get home, we are going to do things to you that no other has ever done.”** He pushed his tongue deep inside the doctor’s throat, kissing him deeply, and through their bond, Eddie could feel the kiss as well. **“We will make you scream, will make you beg, but not for mercy, no, not like these men will scream and beg. No, we will make you scream and beg for** **_more_ ** **and we will not stop until you are drained of Every. Last. Drop.”**

Dan’s eyes were blown wide with lust and there was an obvious tent in his pants. “Holy crap,” he whispered.

**“You are ours now, Dan, and we will show you pleasure the likes that you have never known before.”**

It was always harder to make his voice project from within but Eddie did his best. “Venom, stop turning Dan into a pile of lusty goo - we have a job to do.”

**“Spoilsport.”**

“Eddie’s right,” Dan said, breathless and shaky. “But uh, just for the record - I _can’t_ _wait_.”

They moved through the floor, taking out the regular security guards with non-lethal force, moving so stealthily that no one knew that they were there. Dan proved useful several times, striking guards over the head with medical precision - enough to render them unconscious but not enough to leave them with permanent brain damage. In one room was the Duck but Venom was unable to take his time with him, killing him quickly so that he could deal with the other guards, coming back to relieve him of his head afterwards.

They found the Wolf and the Lamb alone in one of the last rooms, and they shoved the Lamb against the wall hard enough that he lay on the ground, stunned. The Wolf looked at them with dispassionate eyes, not seeming surprised by Venom’s appearance, and when they lunged, he darted backwards, pulling out a gun and firing it at them. It was a dart gun and the dart sank deep into their flesh, injecting them with what they could only assume was the paralytic. Their blood ran cold but then fire burned through their veins as Venom released more antidote to be metabolised, pushing back the effects of the drug. When they began to advance once more, tugging the dart from their chest and flicking it contemptuously aside, the Wolf finally showed some signs of fear. They backed him into a corner, and continuing with his fairy tale theme for the evening, Venom said, **“My, what big ears you have, Mr Wolf, and my, what big eyes you have, Mr Wolf. So juicy and plump, just for me.”** He flicked a claw out and sliced through one of Wolf’s eyeballs, sending vitreous fluid spurting over their face. Venom’s long tongue came out to lick it away, and then, ignoring the howls of pain from Wolf, he dug a claw into the other eye, hooking his finger and pulling, bringing the eyeball popping out of his skull. With a quick jerk, he broke the eyeball from the optic nerve, threw it into the air and gobbled it down. **“So delicious,”** Venom purred, but by now Wolf had passed out from the shock. Not caring that his audience was unconscious, he said **“My, what big teeth** **_I_ ** **have. All the better to eat you with,”** and then he unhinged his jaw, clamped down hard, and ripped Wolf's head off.

A gunshot echoed in the small room and they spun around to see Dan grappling with Lamb, his hands wrapped around the man’s wrists, aiming the gun away from Venom and Eddie. Lamb swiped a foot out and sent Dan falling to the ground and then he whipped the pistol across Dan’s face, leaving an ugly welt behind as his head snapped back.

Venom roared and he lunged at the man, snatching him up in his large, clawed hands, plucking the gun from Lamb’s hands and crushing it easily before tossing it aside. **“You’ve now hurt two men who are very dear to me. You will live to regret that - until you bleed out. More than enough time to think on what you’ve done.”** Then he ripped the man limb from limb, swallowing one arm, then the other, and shoving both legs into his huge mouth at once, pushing them down through his teeth like he was a living meat grinder. Lamb’s torso fell to the floor, and he screamed wordlessly, but blood was spurting out of him at a great rate of knots and it was only a matter of seconds before he gave one last twitch and died.

Venom sunk back under his host’s skin and Eddie dashed over to Dan, kneeling beside him. “Shit, Dan, are you alright?”

The doctor smiled blearily up at him. “I think I’ll live,” he said as Eddie examined his injury.

“Right, well let’s get you home so we can get this paperwork scanned and sent off to the authorities, and then Venom and I can take turns kissing you better.”

Dan laughed and when Venom formed around Eddie, gathering the doc against his broad chest, he wrapped his arms around Venom’s neck and whispered, “Don’t forget - you promised to make me scream.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up that there's some NSFW artwork in this chapter :)

Eddie closed his laptop, having scanned and sent the documents via a couple of ten-minute temporary email addresses, making sure that he scrambled his IP address using a VPN. Sure, it wasn’t completely foolproof but he had a feeling that it would be good enough, and if not? Well, whoever came after him would just have to deal with him and Venom.

And surprisingly, Dan.

He looked over to where Dan was on the couch, Venom on his lap, a long, thin tendril connecting himself to his Other stretching across the apartment. Seeing the doctor like this, eyes soft and full of wonder as he stroked and caressed Venom, sharing sweet kisses and lingering promises, well it was hard to gel that with the Dan who had been with them at Hanna Corp. It wasn’t that Eddie had thought that the man would shy away from danger, it was just that Annie had a certain taste in men and they seemed to be the more submissive sort. Eddie didn't consider himself to be courageous or brave - he only did what he did now because Venom was strong and could keep them safe. In the days prior to their bonding, Eddie was always cautious of getting into dangerous situations. Sure, sometimes he read them completely wrong - he’d misjudged Drake, hadn’t realised how dangerous the billionaire could be, but generally he’d been extra careful not to get into a situation that he’d have to fight his way out of. His weapon of choice was the truth, not his fists, and he avoided physical fights like the plague.

He’d assumed that Dan would be much the same. Yeah, he was cool under pressure, and gore obviously didn't bother him - two traits that one needed to be a successful surgeon, but Eddie hadn’t expected him to be so...vengeful. He’d fully expected the man to be horrified by the sort of justice that Venom doled out, to cringe away from them after the first head had been torn off, but he hadn’t even blinked. He’d not particularly taken any pleasure from it, wasn’t a closeted psychopath from what Eddie could tell; he simply had thought that those men had gotten what they deserved and he’d been pretty okay with the manner in which Venom had gone about it. Even more surprising was that he _still_ wanted them, still wanted to be intimate.

“Are you ever going to come and join us or are you going to spend the rest of the night staring into space?” Dan’s voice was teasing but there was need and desire in his eyes.

Eddie smiled and stood up from the table, stretching his arms above his head to loosen up. “Sorry, I’m coming. Didn’t mean to leave you both waiting.”

Dan held out a hand and Eddie took it, allowing himself to be pulled around the couch and down against the doctor. “You just looked like you’d finished is all. Didn’t want to wait longer than I had to.”

Unable to help but smile at his enthusiasm, Eddie reached up and stroked down Dan’s cheek and along his jaw before leaning in to kiss him chastely. “I just gotta ask, before this goes any further,” he said, taking himself by surprise. “Is Annie really okay with this? Like, I know that you said she was okay if you kissed me, but we’re about to go a lot further than just kissing.” He chewed on his lower lip, trying to find his next words, and Dan, bless him, didn't try to rush or talk over him, just waited patiently. “I guess, before this was all real, when it was just a dirty fantasy in my head and a hope in my heart, well, I remember thinking about how scary it would be, getting Anne’s blessing and how it might be easier to just...not. But now that it’s real? That you’re here and that you _want us back_? I guess I just don’t want to screw her life up any more than I already have. I hurt her badly once before, and I don’t want to be the reason that her life falls apart again.”

Dan was smiling at him almost dreamily and Eddie frowned, finding it a little disconcerting. “You precious, precious man,” the doctor murmured, lifting Eddie’s hand and pressing soft kisses to his knuckles. “I already did the scary conversation with Annie, and she’s really, _really_ okay with this. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to phone her and ask, though she might be a little upset at the interruption - she went to that conference with Stacey and they don’t get much time together when they’re here.”

Eddie’s entire brain ground to a halt. “Wait, what? Stacey? As in Stacey from her old firm Stacey?”

Dan nodded. “Yeah, they fell into a ‘friends with benefits’ thing after you guys broke up and when she started seeing me, she realised that she didn't want to stop seeing Stacey either. I was okay with that - I just wanted her happy, and what they have works well with what Annie and I have. Stacey and I are friends but not attracted to one another so it’s completely separate from me and Annie, a bit like what we have here is also separate from Annie. You’re not interested in her anymore, right?”

“God, no - sleeping with her again is the _last_ thing that I want.”

“See, nothing to worry about then - everyone is on the same page.”

Venom had been watching them with his large, opalescent eyes and finally spoke. **“Are you both done with this pointless chatter now? We’re** **_supposed_ ** **to be making Dan scream.”**

Eddie bopped Venom on the snout. “It’s not pointless chatter, love - shit like this is important.”

Venom’s eyes narrowed. **“If you don’t want to lose that finger, you won’t ever do that again.”**

“What? Eddie asked in faux innocence. “This?” And he bopped him again.

Venom reared back. **“Apologise!”**

“Nope, not gonna happen.”

**_“Apologise!”_ **

“What are you gonna do if I don’t?”

Venom lunged for him, tackling Eddie off of the couch and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs and tentacles. Eddie squealed as Venom found all of his ticklish spots and he doubled up, trying to keep the probing tendrils at bay. “Dan! Help!” he wheezed.

For his part, Dan just looked on, amused. “Mmm, no, no I don’t think so.”

“Please!”

“I think you’re getting exactly what you deserve, Eddie.”

“Traitor!” Eddie cried between laughter.

**“Dan knows who is right - he is much smarter than you and will be rewarded for it.”**

In Venom’s moment of distraction, Eddie managed to reach out and bop his snout yet again. “Ha ha! Gotcha!”

 **“You will regret that!”** Numerous tendrils erupted from Venom’s body, twisting and twining around Eddie, until he was entirely trussed up and unable to move, pulled up so he was leaning against the back of the couch.

“This the best you got?” his host teased.

 **“No,** **_this_ ** **is the best we got,”** Venom told him smugly, and then proceeded to ignore Eddie completely and turned to kiss Dan.

Kissing Venom was always an overwhelming experience but to see it from afar, as an onlooker, it was something else. Of course, Venom couldn’t go hell for leather with Dan since he wasn’t bonded with his very cells, so the symbiote couldn’t suppress his gag reflex, couldn’t keep him oxygenated while blocking his airway, but it was still hot as fuck to see that long tongue push down Dan’s throat, to watch those sharp teeth snap oh so close to skin. Eddie was hard in his jeans but knew that even if he begged, his Other wasn’t going to release him just yet so he may as well just relax and enjoy the show.

During the kiss, other tentacles moved over Dan, rucking up his shirt, popping the button on his jeans, finding delicious expanses of skin to explore. Eddie longed to touch, to taste, and he concentrated on his bond, managing to experience these things faintly through it. Dan’s skin was warm and soft and tasted like sunshine, or maybe that was just his symbiote’s romanticism coming out to play.

Venom began to play with Dan’s nipples, small tendrils wrapping around them, plucking at the small nubs, and slicking over them. The doctor threw his head back, breaking the kiss, but Venom just concentrated on his throat then, licking and sucking up and down the taut column, leaving a lovely palette of bruises behind. He sent a tendril down further, undoing the zip to Dan’s jeans before slowly beginning to work them down his hips. Dan’s feet kicked at his jeans, his toes gripping the material to help pull them off and soon his was bare from the waist down and Eddie got an eyeful of his cock for the first time.

Dan was long and slender, curving up from a neatly trimmed patch of pubic hair to lay against his stomach. The tip was already red and leaking and Eddie felt his mouth begin to water at the sight. He wanted to wrap his lips around it, to swallow it down, to hear Dan whimper and beg above him.

 **We could…?** Venom sent an image to his host of Dan propped up before a restrained Eddie, his cock being fed into Eddie’s mouth by several tentacles before others pushed the doctor from behind, forcing him down his throat.

Eddie’s breathing hitched and his heart rate spiked but not in a good way, and he found that he was hyperventilating. “ _No,_ ” he whispered, struggling to breathe, twisting against his bonds, beginning to thrash and struggle.

 **“Eddie? What’s wrong?”** Venom asked, stopping everything he was doing with Dan to focus on his host.

“Shit, Venom, release him, let him go, now!” Dan commanded and as soon as the tendrils holding Eddie retreated, he steadied Eddie before letting go, giving him some space. “It’s okay, Eddie, you’re safe here - it’s just me and Venom with you, no one is going to hurt you.”

Eddie gasped, feeling tears sting his eyes as he tried to slow his breathing, tried to calm down. _Safe, safe, safe_ he kept repeating until finally his body believed him and reined in his fight or flight response.

 **“Eddie?”** Venom’s voice was so small and hesitant that it broke Eddie’s heart and he reached out a finger for Venom to curl part of himself around.

“Hey, love, sorry, it’s okay now.”

 **“We thought you would like it,”** he explained, sounding disappointed.

“Like it? Like what?” Dan asked.

“He uh, projected at me the image of me sucking you, while I was, uh, while I was tied up.”

“Oh. Oh dear.” Dan reached out and stroked over Venom’s head. “Honey, I know you probably thought that Eddie would like that, and maybe once he would have, but after what happened, it’s probably really triggering now.”

 **“Triggering? Oh.** **_Oh!”_ ** Wave after wave of regret poured through Eddie from their bond as Venom realised what he’d done and the part that was still inside of him twisted and whirled about in distress. **Sorry, Eddie, so sorry, didn't mean to hurt you.**

“Hey, love, it’s okay, I know that you didn't mean anything by it, it’s all okay.”

**Not okay, hurt you, promised to never hurt you!**

“Darling, please, calm down, it’s okay, I know that you didn't mean it.” He gathered the external mass of Venom to him and held him close, pressing kisses to his inky skin. “I know you just wanted to make me feel good. I’m sorry that I got upset.”

“Maybe we should call it quits for tonight?” Dan suggested.

Eddie considered this and then his resolve hardened. “No,” he said firmly. “No, I am _not_ letting what those bastards did to me ruin everything else in my life.”

“Eddie, I understand the sentiment, but maybe you need a little more time?”

“Dan, my mouth was _watering_ when I saw your cock. I wanted it _so_ much. I don’t need more time, I just need you. You and V.”

“You can have me whenever you want,” Dan assured him, sitting up on his knees and shuffling down the couch until he was close enough to almost straddle Eddie’s lap. “Why don’t I have a go first? Get you nice and relaxed and then if you still want to, you can get a taste of me?”

“Oh, God, _yes_.” Eddie had dreamed about having those perfect lips around him for _so_ long now.

Dan smiled and then kissed him, deep and slow, before taking his hand and tugging him to his feet. “Let’s go to the bedroom - it’ll be much more comfortable for everyone.”

Eddie agreed, following Dan and watching eagerly as the doctor pulled his shirt off, leaving him completely bare, showing off every inch of delectable skin. “What are you waiting for?” Dan asked, one perfect eyebrow raised, and he gestured to the bed. “Get on.”

Feeling a little too self-conscious to strip down, even though the doctor had seen _everything_ already, Eddie simply opened his flies and then flopped down onto the bed. Dan didn't seem to mind at all, his deft fingers tugging his briefs out of the way and then maneuvering his rapidly hardening cock out of their confines. He grinned at the treasure he uncovered and wet his lips before sucking softly on the tip, his tongue lashing out to twirl around and tease at the ridge of his crown.

Eddie made a guttural sound in the back of his throat and reached out to pet Dan’s hair, enjoying the way the thick, soft locks felt in his hand. Venom coalesced at his side and pressed small kisses all over Eddie’s face and he could feel the apology behind them. He hated that he’d upset his Other, hated that after everything that they had been through, Venom still felt guilty for not being able to help him escape, but that was all in the past now and he vowed to himself that he would do all that he could to help his symbiote move on, forgive himself, realise that he had been just as much a victim as Eddie had been.

He cupped Venom’s cheek and kissed him, loving the way that his entire mouth was invaded with that long, thick tongue, his gasp of pleasure muffled by it as Dan slid his lips down to take in more of his length. The doc had _not_ been kidding when he’d said that he excelled at giving head - it was by far the best blow job that he’d had from a human in his life. There was no way that it could compare to how Venom worked him over since humans just didn't have numerous tentacles, a tongue sent from the heavens, or intimate knowledge of just what exactly made Eddie Brock tick, but it was damn close. For his part, Dan seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. His eyes rolled back in his head in pleasure as he licked and sucked delicately, his clever surgeon’s hands worked Eddie’s balls and perineum, and he rutted his hips against the mattress, chasing a little pressure for his own junk.

Venom helpfully sent a thin black coil inching down the bed to circle Dan’s cock and as he gasped in surprise at the touch, Eddie’s cock slid all the way inside his mouth and throat. The pressure was amazing, even if the more sensitive nerves in his frenulum and tip weren’t being stimulated like this, and Eddie couldn’t help but rock his hips a little, pressing in just ever so much deeper. He finally pulled out and Dan dragged in a huge lungful of air before he dove back in, swallowing him back down to the root once more.

Venom stopped kissing Eddie and looked down, sending a slim tentacle to probe around where Dan’s lips stretched wide around Eddie, tracing around and around before working the tip of it between them, slipping inside so Dan could suck the symbiote as well. The doctor groaned and he tongued at the addition, flicking it across Eddie’s shaft as he did so.

 **“So pretty,”** Venom cooed, drawing the tentacle out to once more skim around the outer edges, seemingly fascinated with the point where the two men connected. Saliva was running down Dan’s chin and Venom scooped some of it up, slicking his tentacle and then dropping it down to work at his nipples once more.

Suddenly Eddie _needed_ Dan in his mouth and he reached down and pulled him up, urging him to spin around so that he was kneeling above him. Dan made a pleased noise as he cottoned on to the situation and he maneuvered himself around until he could slip his mouth back down over Eddie’s cock, his hand gripping the base so he could angle it right. Eddie took hold of Dan’s hips and tilted his head, then licked a stripe from the base to the tip. He spent a small amount of time licking and sucking at his balls and then just as Dan deepthroated him once more, he sucked the head into his mouth and began to work it properly.

Venom was a buzzing mess of hormones and emotions, and he spread himself thinly between the two men, trying to touch as much skin as possible, the feedback loop of building pleasure and anticipation pinging along their bond. It was too much for Eddie, his senses overloading with not only his own pleasure but that of his symbiote and he quickly tapped against Dan’s thigh, alerting him to the fact that he was about to come.

Dan didn’t pull back, just made a pleased hum and hollowed his cheeks, increasing the suction around the head of Eddie’s cock. Letting Dan’s own dick fall from his mouth, Eddie cried out, his hips bucking as he shot his load into the warm wetness of the doctor’s mouth. Wave after wave of his orgasm washed over him, making his muscles twitch and spasm, and all the while Venom was trilling happily, undulating in and around and over him, drinking in the delicious chemical release.  

“Fuck, oh fuck,” he swore once he was no longer seeing stars, his ears ringing slightly as they tended to do after a really powerful orgasm.

“Damn, you taste so good, honey,” Dan said, sounding distant and far away.

Eddie stroked down the sides of his thighs, finding the way that Dan’s body was still bracketing him to be comforting and secure, not claustrophobic or restraining. He wanted so badly to show Dan how much he liked him, how much he appreciated everything that he’d done for them, to prove that he felt safe with the doctor. He mentally projected what he wanted to do to his symbiote, trying to non-verbally explain the difference between being restrained and used and what he wanted, which was to have Dan use his mouth to chase his own pleasure. Venom seemed to understand and he nuzzled against Eddie’s cheek in agreement. “Mind if we change positions?” he asked Dan.

“Not at all. Tell me exactly where you want me.”

Eddie grinned and he shuffled around and down so he was lying on his back with his head hanging off the side of the bed. He patted the edge of the mattress and said, “Off the bed, come and stand above me.”

The doctor’s eyes widened a little as he pictured the scene and he hurried to comply, spreading his legs wide so that he would be low enough, his balls and cock hanging heavily above Eddie’s face. “Like this?” he asked, and his voice was raspy with desire.

“Perfect,” Eddie purred, rubbing a hand over the back of his thigh. “Wanna know a secret?”

“Sure.”

“Venom can suppress my gag reflex.”

“Oh dear Lord, how did I get so lucky?” Dan whispered.

“Pretty sure that’s us, but let’s not have that debate now,” Eddie said, grinning. “I want you to fuck my throat raw, Dan, want you to use my mouth, take what you want. Is that okay?”

Even upside down, Eddie could see the emotion in Dan’s eyes as he reached down to trace a finger over Eddie’s jaw. “I’d be honoured, honey,” he said, and then, Dan been Dan, he added, “but I want you to pinch the back of my leg at any time that you want me to stop, okay? That’s your safe word.”

This was why Eddie was rapidly falling in love with the man - he understood Eddie on a base level, knew that by giving up control to Dan, he was actually _being in control_ , that he was choosing to be in this situation, offering himself up willingly. Dan didn’t falter or hesitate, didn't make Eddie second guess his choice or question if it was the right thing to do for his recovery. No, he simply accepted the gift for what it was and then made sure that Eddie had an out if he needed one. He was fucking perfect and Eddie was tumbling head over heels, and from the steady stream of emotions bubbling his way from his Other, he knew that Venom was too.

Dan cupped Eddie’s jaw and traced over his lips, slipping his finger inside his mouth and stroking over his tongue. Then he guided his cock inside and let its heavy weight just sit there on Eddie’s tongue for a long moment. “So good for me, honey, fuck, you’re both so lovely.”

Venom twined several tendrils around Dan’s legs, hugging him close, and one of them snaked upwards, brushing tentatively down his crack, causing Dan to gasp. “Oh, yes, _yes_ Venom, please, want you so bad.”

**“Want to make you scream, Dan. Promised.”**

“Do it, honey, want it all from you.”

So as Dan pushed his cock further into Eddie’s waiting mouth, Venom slipped the tip of his tentacle downwards, circling around Dan’s hole, the way his legs were spread so he was lower to the ground leaving him gaping and wide open for the symbiote. Dan began to fuck into Eddie’s mouth, and Venom increased the girth of the slippery tentacle as he slipped further inside of the doctor. Eddie tilted his head just a little more, opening up his throat and Dan thrust inside, then pressed his hand down across Eddie’s throat, feeling himself inside. “Damn, Eddie, should see yourself right now, look so good.”

Eddie simply hummed, knowing that the vibrations would travel along Dan’s cock and was rewarded with an even deeper thrust, cutting off his air supply entirely, and his vision began to dance as the doc held him there, held him right on the edge, cock lodged deep in his throat. Then he pulled back and Eddie breathed in deep, swallowing saliva and tasting the pre-ejaculate on his tongue.

Eddie could feel the way that Venom was thrusting into Dan, the tentacle fucking him deeply, causing his legs to tremble and his pelvis to jolt forward every now and then, shoving his cock deeper down Eddie’s throat. Eddie used their bond to time when Venom would thrust in and he would let his tongue go slack and then drag it along the shaft as it slid down between the gap at the back of his mouth, entering the tightness of his throat. The doc was making small whimpering noises and Eddie could tell that he was close so he sent a mental signal to his Other and Venom let loose, widening the tentacle that he had shoved up Dan’s ass, making it thicker and thicker until he was stuffed fuller than he’d ever been in his life, while Eddie grabbed the backs of his legs and pulled him close, holding him deep inside his mouth.

Then Eddie forced himself to swallow, the muscles in his throat contracting around Dan’s cock and from above he heard Dan scream. His legs wobbled but more tentacles came to support him, holding him up and he released spurt after spurt of hot semen down Eddie’s waiting throat. The symbiote fucked him through his orgasm, pressing against his prostate until Dan was a whimpering, oversensitive mess.

Then suddenly Venom was growing, stretching out from Eddie and taking his full form and he was arranging the two men as he wanted them on the bed, pushing them into each other’s arms as he cradled them from behind his host. Eddie and Dan sank into one another, both breathing hard, but grinning at each other, and Eddie thought that Dan had never looked better than when he was fucked out and sated.

“Well, that was something,” the doc quipped.

Eddie huffed out a laugh. “Oh yeah, definitely something.”

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I am.” He smiled and kissed him sweetly, then twisted around to press a kiss to Venom’s cheek as well. “Thanks to the both of you.”

And it was true. He knew that there would still be bad days; things that would trigger a panic attack or send him into a depressive slump, but Eddie also knew that he didn't have to face those days alone. The empty, hollow feeling inside of him was gone, replaced instead with the warm, sweet stirrings of love and affection. Both he and Venom had been a little broken from their experience, and though he was certain that they would have been okay in the end, Dan’s kindness and caring manner had been what had expedited the healing process, not only for him, but for his symbiote as well. He’d had their backs, fought for them, taken care of them, and had kissed them better.

And they were never going to let him go.


End file.
